Afghanistan Cricket Board Announces New Five-Team Franchise T20 League

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced the launch of a new franchise-based T20 competition, the Afghanistan Premier League (APL), with the inaugural season scheduled to begin around October 2026 in the United Arab Emirates.

The first edition of the tournament will feature five city-based franchises and is expected to include a mix of Afghanistan’s leading national players, overseas professionals and emerging domestic talent. According to the ACB, the player draft or auction for the league is likely to take place in June or July 2026.

This marks a revival of the Afghanistan Premier League name, which was previously used for a short-lived tournament held in 2018. That edition also featured five teams and attracted high-profile international players such as Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi. However, the league was discontinued after just one season due to payment issues and concerns over governance and integrity.

Announcing the new competition at a launch event in Dubai, ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf described the league as an important step for Afghan cricket.

“The Afghanistan Premier League represents a meaningful step forward in our cricketing journey,” Ashraf said. “It creates new opportunities for our players, inspires the next generation, and allows Afghanistan cricket to be showcased on a global platform. We see the APL as an important contributor to the growth and unity of the game, both domestically and internationally.”

The ACB has partnered with Cricket Venture, a joint venture between Trans Group and ITW Universe, to deliver the tournament. Organisers said the next phase will focus on finalising franchise identities, securing commercial partners and advancing the player recruitment process.

While the new APL is aimed at expanding Afghanistan’s presence in the global T20 landscape, the board will continue to run its existing domestic T20 competition, the Shpageeza Cricket League, which is held annually between July and August and also features five teams.

The ACB hopes the new franchise league will strengthen Afghanistan’s cricketing ecosystem, provide additional opportunities for players, and attract international attention to the country’s rapidly growing cricket profile.