Teams
Five franchises play APL 2026. Each has a 19-player squad from the 3 November 2026 draft in Dubai, an Afghan Icon captain, and a named coach and mentor — and none has played a match yet. The 2018 clubs are history, kept in the archive at the bottom of this page.
Kabul · 2026 franchise
Azmatullah Omarzai leads as captain and Afghan Icon, with Shane McDermott coaching and Nikhil Chopra mentoring. Kabul's draft started with Johnson Charles in Platinum, then Fazalhaq Farooqi and Dushmantha Chameera in Diamond, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman with the first Gold pick.
Captain: Azmatullah Omarzai
Coach: Shane McDermott · Mentor: Nikhil Chopra
Squad: 19 players · Titles: None yet
Balkh · 2026 franchise
Ibrahim Zadran, the national opener, captains as the Afghan Icon, with Mickey Arthur as head coach and Tillakaratne Dilshan as mentor. The draft brought Moeen Ali, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Gulbadin Naib and Qais Ahmad. This club has not played a match, so it inherits nothing from Balkh Legends' 2018 title.
Captain: Ibrahim Zadran
Coach: Mickey Arthur · Mentor: Tillakaratne Dilshan
Squad: 19 players · Titles: None yet
Kandahar · 2026 franchise
Rashid Khan captains as the Afghan Icon, with Ravi Bopara coaching and Irfan Pathan mentoring. Kandahar held the first pick in both the Platinum and Diamond rounds, taking Muhammad Amir first overall, then Mohammad Nabi and Kusal Perera.
Captain: Rashid Khan
Coach: Ravi Bopara · Mentor: Irfan Pathan
Squad: 19 players · Titles: None yet
Nangarhar · 2026 franchise
Rahmat Shah captains as the Afghan Icon, with Toby Radford as head coach and Mark Boucher as mentor. The draft brought Alex Hales, Shakib Al Hasan, Kamindu Mendis and Zahir Khan. Shah's captaincy was confirmed in the 3 November 2026 switch with Paktia's Gurbaz.
Captain: Rahmat Shah
Coach: Toby Radford · Mentor: Mark Boucher
Squad: 19 players · Titles: None yet
Paktia · 2026 franchise
Rahmanullah Gurbaz captains as the Afghan Icon, with Azhar Mahmood coaching and Waqar Younis mentoring. The draft brought Wanindu Hasaranga, Noor Ahmad, Nahid Rana and Colin Munro. Paktia is the plainest name of the five — no separate commercial nickname has been confirmed.
Captain: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Coach: Azhar Mahmood · Mentor: Waqar Younis
Squad: 19 players · Titles: None yet
| Team | Captain | Coach | Mentor | Squad | Ground | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Akcel United Kabul
|
Azmatullah Omarzai | Shane McDermott | Nikhil Chopra | 19 players | UAE venue to be confirmed | None yet |
|
Balkh Zwanan
|
Ibrahim Zadran | Mickey Arthur | Tillakaratne Dilshan | 19 players | UAE venue to be confirmed | None yet |
|
Kandahar Warriors
|
Rashid Khan | Ravi Bopara | Irfan Pathan | 19 players | UAE venue to be confirmed | None yet |
|
Nangarhar Cosmic
|
Rahmat Shah | Toby Radford | Mark Boucher | 19 players | UAE venue to be confirmed | None yet |
|
Paktia
|
Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Azhar Mahmood | Waqar Younis | 19 players | UAE venue to be confirmed | None yet |
Full player lists are on the squads page, and every player has a profile on the players page.
These five clubs played the only completed APL season in 2018. They are not the 2026 franchises, even where a city name repeats: Balkh Zwanan are not Balkh Legends, and Akcel United Kabul are not Kabul Zwanan. Titles stay with the club that earned them. Full squads, results and records for each club are on its team page.
| Team | Captain | 2018 finish | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balkh Legends | Mohammad Nabi | 2018 champions | Sharjah Cricket Stadium |
| Kabul Zwanan | Rashid Khan | 2018 runners-up | Sharjah Cricket Stadium |
| Kandahar Knights | Asghar Afghan | None | Sharjah Cricket Stadium |
| Nangarhar Leopards | Ben Cutting | 2018 semi-finalists | Sharjah Cricket Stadium |
| Paktia Panthers | Shahid Afridi | 2018 semi-finalists | Sharjah Cricket Stadium |
No. Only the city names repeat. Balkh Zwanan are not Balkh Legends, and Akcel United Kabul are not Kabul Zwanan. Titles, squads and results stay with the club that earned them.
Yes. Each of the five 2026 franchises has a 19-player squad from the 3 November 2026 draft in Dubai, led by its Afghan Icon captain. See the squads page for the full lists.
In the UAE at ICC-approved venues. Specific grounds had not been announced as of 4 November 2026, so every 2026 team page still shows its ground as to be confirmed.
