All cricket-playing countries in the world have introduced their own franchise leagues. After BCCI showed the way with IPL, most cricket playing countries have followed. Some countries have succeeded, while others have failed. Now, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has added its name to the list. They have announced the Afghanistan Premier League. The APL will start in 2026.
The structure of APL
The Afghanistan Cricket Board has announced that a five-team premier league will be held in the United Arab Emirates in late 2026. However, this is not the first time – they had launched the Afghanistan Premier League earlier in 2018. That time, players like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, and Shahid Afridi played. Though it did not continue beyond one season due to controversies over transparency regarding payments and tournament management. But this time they want to start afresh.
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The Afghanistan Cricket Board will bring franchises from five cities here. Both domestic and foreign players will be playing. However, being financially weak, the Afghanistan Cricket Board will not be able to organise it alone. They have joined hands with two organisations, named Trans Group and ITWB Universe to host the tournament.
At the launch ceremony of the APL in Dubai, ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said, "Afghanistan Premier League is an important part of our cricket journey. This will create new opportunities for our players, inspire the new generation, and showcase Afghanistan cricket on the global stage."
