APL 2026
A revival with captains, a draft date and a first ball. No champion, no table, no alibi for a fake fixture.
- First ball
- 27 December 2026, 5:30 PM Afghanistan time
- Teams
- 5 new franchises
- Matches advertised
- 24
- Host
- UAE, grounds to be confirmed
- Champion
- Not played
- Runner-up
- Not played
- Draft
- 3 November 2026, Dubai
- Trophy
- Koh-e-Zafar, unveiled August 2026
APL 2026 teams
- Akcel United Kabul — Azmatullah Omarzai, coach Shane McDermott
- Balkh Zwanan — Ibrahim Zadran, coach Mickey Arthur
- Kandahar Warriors — Rashid Khan, coach Ravi Bopara
- Nangarhar Cosmic — Rahmat Shah, coach Toby Radford
- Paktia — Rahmanullah Gurbaz, coach Azhar Mahmood
What the APL 2026 season is
The board announced the return in December 2025. Three franchises were unveiled in August 2026, then the set became five. A leaders’ draft named captains and coaches in late October. On 3 November the board swapped two of the captains and the player draft was due in the UAE, 18 rounds, 90 picks. The first ball sits on 27 December.
APL 2026 format
Double round-robin, top four into a playoff, 24 matches if the advertised total holds. The rules page shows why that implies four knockout games, and why an older report said something shorter. There is no standings table worth printing except zeroes, and those live on the points page.
APL 2026 notable news so far
The notable moments are administrative, which is what a pre-season is. Kandahar won the right to pick first. Nangarhar won the Emerging opener. Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah changed franchises on draft day. None of that is a six over long-on. It is the season we have.
Last updated 3 November 2026, 09:00 GST