APL frequently asked questions

It is a five-team franchise Twenty20 competition run by the Afghanistan Cricket Board. One season was completed, in Sharjah in 2018. The revived edition is scheduled to begin on 27 December 2026 in the UAE. This site is an independent guide, not the board. The teams page lists the five 2026 franchises and the 2018 sides.

More on the history of the APL.

Balkh Legends won the 2018 final, beating Kabul Zwanan by four wickets at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. No later season has been completed, so they are the only champions. The 2026 clubs do not inherit that title.

More on the history of the APL.

Nobody yet. The 2026 season starts on 27 December 2026, so the champion will be decided when it is played. Balkh Legends are the only past champions, from 2018.

No. The league's own site is apl-t20.com and the board is acb.af. APLt20league.com explains the competition for readers. It is not affiliated with the ACB or any franchise.

More on the history of the APL.

The first ball is 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (official site: 5:00 PM Dubai time). The two teams and the ground for that match had not been published in the sources checked on 3 November 2026. The schedule page carries the opening date and will list fixtures as they are announced.

More on the history of the APL.

Five in 2026: Akcel United Kabul, Balkh Zwanan, Kandahar Warriors, Nangarhar Cosmic and Paktia. The 2018 season also had five, with different franchise names. The teams page lists all five 2026 franchises.

More on the history of the APL.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board owns it. For the revival, the board is operating the competition with Cricket Ventures, a partnership that involves ITW. Mirwais Ashraf was ACB chairman at the 2025 launch.

More on the history of the APL.

It is the name used for the championship trophy unveiled in August 2026. The cup itself was shown at the franchise launch. It has not been lifted, because the season has not been played. The champions page covers the 2018 final and the trophy.

More on the history of the APL.

The season record describes an eight-year gap caused by commercial disputes, contractual problems and concerns about how the league was administered. The board's December 2025 announcement was the restart.

More on the history of the APL.

Only the opening date is fixed: 27 December 2026, first ball 5:30 PM Afghanistan time, in the UAE. The league has advertised 24 matches. Five teams playing each other twice makes 20 league games; the rest are playoffs and the final. The match-by-match fixture list had not been published by 4 November 2026.

No date has been announced. Only the opening date is fixed, 27 December 2026, and the league has advertised 24 matches. The schedule page will list every fixture as soon as the ACB publishes it.

Five teams play each other twice in a double round-robin, then the top four advance to the knockouts. The league has advertised 24 matches in total. The 2026 points tariff, including tied or washed-out matches, is to be confirmed; in 2018 a win was worth two points. The format and rules page lists what is confirmed and what is still open.

In the United Arab Emirates. The ACB says the first edition will be hosted at ICC-approved venues in the UAE, and that later editions may move elsewhere. The individual grounds had not been named by 4 November 2026. The whole 2018 tournament was played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The venues page covers Sharjah and the 2026 grounds question.

Times on this site are shown in Afghanistan time, the league's country. The only confirmed clock time right now is 5:30 PM Afghanistan time for the first ball (official site: 5:00 PM Dubai time). The homepage counts down to that instant. It does not convert other matches into a reader's city.

Not for 2026: no ball has been bowled, so there is no live score and the 2026 table is all zeroes until 27 December. The 2018 league finished with Balkh Legends on 12 points, then Paktia Panthers, Kabul Zwanan, Nangarhar Leopards and Kandahar Knights; the 2018 results are on the results page.

In 2018 nobody finished level, and the table carried net run rate. The 2026 tie-break order has not been published in a playing-conditions document this site has seen. An illustrated NRR example on the points page is labelled as fiction.

Azmatullah Omarzai (Akcel United Kabul), Ibrahim Zadran (Balkh Zwanan), Rashid Khan (Kandahar Warriors), Rahmat Shah (Nangarhar Cosmic) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Paktia). The last two were switched by the board on 3 November 2026. The teams page names each captain with their coach and mentor.

No. The cities rhyme and the clubs do not. Balkh Legends, Kabul Zwanan, Kandahar Knights, Nangarhar Leopards and Paktia Panthers were the 2018 sides. Titles stay with those names.

The squads were set at the player draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026. 90 players were picked from a pool of 462 across 18 rounds, and with the five Afghan Icon captains already assigned each franchise has 19 players. The ACB published the full lists the same day; the squads page reproduces them.

Kandahar Warriors took Muhammad Amir with the first Platinum pick. The other Platinum picks, in order, were Moeen Ali (Balkh), Alex Hales (Nangarhar), Johnson Charles (Akcel United Kabul) and Wanindu Hasaranga (Paktia), according to the ACB release.

Drafted overseas players include Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Shakib Al Hasan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Colin Munro, Imran Tahir, Johnson Charles, Nahid Rana, Tymal Mills and Dushmantha Chameera. Launch reporting put the cap at four overseas players in a playing XI.

Shane McDermott (Kabul), Mickey Arthur (Balkh), Ravi Bopara (Kandahar), Toby Radford (Nangarhar) and Azhar Mahmood (Paktia). Mentors include Nikhil Chopra, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Irfan Pathan, Mark Boucher and Waqar Younis.

To be confirmed. August reports named buyers, but ESPNcricinfo wrote on 2 November 2026 that the board had not formally announced owners. This site will not promote those reports to fact.

Early reporting said a maximum of four overseas players in the XI, with at least one local emerging player, and squads of about 16 to 18. The draft size fits 18. Treat the XI cap as reported until the playing conditions are posted.

Rashid Khan, captain of runners-up Kabul Zwanan. Qais Ahmad was player of the final for his 5 for 18.

Balkh Legends made 244 for 6 against Kabul Zwanan on 14 October 2018. That is the highest total recorded for the tournament in the sources used here. The records page lists the 2018 marks.

Nangarhar Leopards were 64 all out in 13.1 overs in the semi-final against Balkh Legends on 19 October 2018.

No match broadcaster or streaming partner for the 2026 season had been announced by 4 November 2026. The player draft was streamed on the ACB and APL T20 YouTube channels, which are the most likely places for the rights announcement. This site will list a channel only once the ACB or the league confirms it. The where to watch page is updated when a broadcaster is confirmed.

Unknown. Rights deals often split television and a paid or free stream by country. This site will not promise a free stream that has not been announced.

No. Times stay in Afghanistan time. The homepage counts one clock only: 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time. It does not rewrite that kickoff into another city.

Global media rights that year were awarded to a consortium led by ITW and Trans Group. That deal was for 2018. It is not automatically the 2026 deal, even though ITW is again involved in operating the league.

The official sources are the Afghanistan Cricket Board (acb.af) and the league site (apl-t20.com). This site's news section summarises their announcements, such as the 3 November 2026 draft, with links back to the source.

Not as of 4 November 2026. No ticketing partner and no TV or streaming partner for matches had been announced. The draft was streamed on the ACB and APL T20 YouTube channels. This page will be updated when official channels are named. The tickets page explains what is confirmed so far.

Use the official APL or venue channel once it is published. No ticket URL or price list was confirmed for this build. Do not pay a social-media account that cannot show that same official page. The tickets page carries the checks to run before you pay.

The seller's name matches the board or the stadium, the match and date match the published fixture, and the price is on that page rather than only in a chat. If any of those fail, stop.

No. Inventing a price would be worse than leaving the cell empty. When the board publishes a range, the tickets page will quote it and date the check.

Yes, as a way of thinking, not as a promised XI. The fantasy page uses the 2018 season as evidence and refuses lock badges. Age and legality rules for real-money games are yours to follow.

Nobody, until two teams and two XIs exist. Captaincy advice without a fixture is a costume. Come back when the schedule is real.

The leading run-scorer and the leading wicket-taker both played for Paktia Panthers, who lost a semi-final. Balkh Legends won the trophy. Volume and titles are not the same column.

No. There are no odds, no bookmaker links and no staking tips. Fantasy talk on this site is about picking a cricket XI, with a clear note that real-money games are regulated and age-limited.