The Afghanistan Premier League (APL) has confirmed a high-profile group of international coaches and mentors for its five franchises, including Irfan Pathan, Waqar Younis, Mark Boucher, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mickey Arthur, as the competition prepares for its player draft in Dubai today.
The revamped T20 league, scheduled to begin on December 27, has also finalised its five captains, with Afghanistan stars Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran set to lead the teams.
According to a report by Cricinfo, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has assembled a draft pool of 462 players from nearly 1,500 registrations, with franchises operating under a USD 725,000 player salary cap.
Five franchises confirm captains, coaches and mentors
The leadership appointments bring together established Afghan international players and former cricketers with extensive international coaching and playing experience.
Rashid Khan will Captain Kandahar Warriors, with former England allrounder Ravi Bopara appointed Head Coach and former India allrounder Irfan Pathan serving as Mentor.
Rahmat Shah will lead the Paktia team, with former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood taking charge as Head Coach and former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis serving as Mentor.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz will Captain the Nangarhar franchise, which has appointed Toby Radford as Head Coach and former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher as Mentor.
The Balkh franchise has named Ibrahim Zadran as Captain, former international coach Mickey Arthur as Head Coach and former Sri Lanka international Tillakaratne Dilshan as Mentor.
Akcel United Kabul will be led by Azmatullah Omarzai, supported by Head Coach Shane McDermott and Mentor Nikhil Chopra.
The appointments followed a leadership selection process conducted last week. Former Sri Lanka allrounder Farveez Maharoof hosted the proceedings alongside the five mentors, who participated in selecting the captains and head coaches across two rounds.
USD 725,000 salary cap and squad regulations
Each franchise will have a player remuneration ceiling of USD 725,000, with the competition introducing squad composition requirements intended to balance overseas recruitment and opportunities for Afghan cricketers.
Teams can assemble a core squad of 17 players through the main draft and add up to two more through a supplementary round, creating a maximum active squad of 19.
The regulations recommend a minimum of 12 Afghan or local players per squad, while overseas representation is limited to between six and seven players.
For individual matches, teams must select three or four overseas players in their playing XI, alongside at least seven Afghan or local cricketers, including one emerging player.
The draft also imposes requirements on how franchises recruit international talent. Each team must select at least one overseas player in both the Platinum and Diamond categories, while at least one of its two Diamond-category selections must be Afghan.
Franchises must also recruit at least three overseas players within their first nine selections. An additional overseas player can be added during the supplementary round, subject to the overall limit, and each franchise has provision for one proposed wildcard selection.
Revamped APL seeks a fresh start after 2018 setback
The competition marks another attempt to establish a sustainable Afghanistan Premier League following the short-lived tournament launched in 2018.
That earlier five-team competition attracted prominent international cricketers, including Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi, but lasted only one season before being discontinued amid payment disputes and concerns about the league’s integrity.
The renewed APL is scheduled to begin on December 27, although its venues have not been officially confirmed. The inaugural season of the revamped competition is expected to be staged in the United Arab Emirates rather than Afghanistan.
An announcement identifying the franchise owners was expected around the time of the player draft.
Afghanistan Premier League player draft takes place in Dubai today
The player draft will determine the squads for the competition’s five franchises, with a substantial group of established international cricketers available for selection.
Registered overseas players include Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, Kusal Perera and Charith Asalanka; South Africans Reeza Hendricks and Imran Tahir; and West Indies players Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Akeal Hosein.
The pool also features Bangladesh internationals Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das, alongside Pakistan players Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Imam-ul-Haq and Sahibzada Farhan.
Players will be selected across five categories: Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging.
With the coaching and leadership appointments completed, the immediate focus shifts to today’s Dubai player draft, where the five franchises will assemble their squads ahead of the December launch.
