- Irfan, Boucher and Waqar are part of the support staff of the Afghan Premier League’s first international stars such as Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft that will take place on November 3rd. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023. In the end we are far more great than terrible and that’s what makes me hpy.” Simon Harmer struck three times during the opening session on the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, Day 5, October 31, 2026. Lyon fade powerfully, Smith at No.
- 3 and the never-ending Boland debate – Questions for Australia after SA’s 3rd Test series defeat against AUS – Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith and Scott Boland headline big questions for the Australian Test team. The Test team lost their three-match series in South Africa 1-0 and an aging team now needs to find answers ahead of their summer home game next month. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon celebrate a wicket, Australia v Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Mackay, Day 2, August 23, 2026 A disastrous final morning prevented an increasingly familiar series of missed opportunities, questionable decisions and batting failures. Marnus Labuschagne returns, his Test career hanging by a thread, South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026. The 22-year-old announced himself with a breakthrough but is also making great progress as a seam bowler. Manvanth Kumar gets his first First Class C from KL Rahul, Andhra vs Karnataka, Ranji Trophy, Day 1, Vijayawada, October 11, 2026. Bengal batsman Sudip Kumar Gharami still needs to score a lot more to progress to the next level but “will let things come to me instead of chasing them.” Sudip Kumar Gharami talks about his hundred, Madhya Pradesh vs Bengal, 1st Place Semi-Final, Ranji Trophy, Matchday 1, Indore, February 8, 2023 NZ A vs Ind A – Lower order runs put New Zealand A on top despite Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar pulling Yashasvi Jaiswal and B. Mukesh Kumar rushes to bowl, Jammu and Kashmir vs Rest of India, Irani Cup, Day 2, Srinagar, October 2, 2026 It has been a steep and remarkably rid rise for Jharkhand’s young batsman Shikhar Mohan and now he has to prove that he is among the best Shikhar Mohan impressed on Duleep Trophy debut, East Zone vs South Zone, Final, Duleep Trophy, Chennai, 6. September 2026 Seifert is now there for the entire series, while Nicholls and Foxcroft have been brought in for the first three and last two ODIs. Matches Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chman added 112 runs off 91 balls for the second wicket, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, Hamilton, January 8, 2025 NZ A v Ind A – Lower order runs put New Zealand A ahead despite Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar pulling Yashasvi Jaiswal and B. Sai Sudharsan bowled all 11 overs before the end of the game to reduce the deficit to India A 46 runs Mukesh Kumar runs to bowl, Jammu & Kashmir vs Rest of India, Irani Cup, Day 2, Srinagar, October 2, 2026 International stars like Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft that will be held on November 3. Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai reach for the stars as they celebrate England vs Afghanistan, Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, Delhi, October 15, 2023 Tillakaratne Dilshan, Azhar Mahmood and Mark Boucher have been pointed as members of the support staff for the five teams of the upcoming Afghan Prime Minister League.
- The revamped franchise-based T20 league announced the ctains, head coaches and mentors of the five teams on Monday.
Irfan, Boucher and Waqar are part of the support staff of the Afghan Premier League’s first international stars such as Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft that will take place on November 3rd. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023. In the end we are far more great than terrible and that’s what makes me hpy.” Simon Harmer struck three times during the opening session on the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, Day 5, October 31, 2026. Lyon fade powerfully, Smith at No.
3 and the never-ending Boland debate – Questions for Australia after SA’s 3rd Test series defeat against AUS – Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith and Scott Boland headline big questions for the Australian Test team. The Test team lost their three-match series in South Africa 1-0 and an aging team now needs to find answers ahead of their summer home game next month. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon celebrate a wicket, Australia v Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Mackay, Day 2, August 23, 2026 A disastrous final morning prevented an increasingly familiar series of missed opportunities, questionable decisions and batting failures. Marnus Labuschagne returns, his Test career hanging by a thread, South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026. The 22-year-old announced himself with a breakthrough but is also making great progress as a seam bowler. Manvanth Kumar gets his first First Class C from KL Rahul, Andhra vs Karnataka, Ranji Trophy, Day 1, Vijayawada, October 11, 2026. Bengal batsman Sudip Kumar Gharami still needs to score a lot more to progress to the next level but “will let things come to me instead of chasing them.” Sudip Kumar Gharami talks about his hundred, Madhya Pradesh vs Bengal, 1st Place Semi-Final, Ranji Trophy, Matchday 1, Indore, February 8, 2023 NZ A vs Ind A – Lower order runs put New Zealand A on top despite Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar pulling Yashasvi Jaiswal and B. Mukesh Kumar rushes to bowl, Jammu and Kashmir vs Rest of India, Irani Cup, Day 2, Srinagar, October 2, 2026 It has been a steep and remarkably rid rise for Jharkhand’s young batsman Shikhar Mohan and now he has to prove that he is among the best Shikhar Mohan impressed on Duleep Trophy debut, East Zone vs South Zone, Final, Duleep Trophy, Chennai, 6. September 2026 Seifert is now there for the entire series, while Nicholls and Foxcroft have been brought in for the first three and last two ODIs. Matches Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chman added 112 runs off 91 balls for the second wicket, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2nd T20I, Hamilton, January 8, 2025 NZ A v Ind A – Lower order runs put New Zealand A ahead despite Mohammed Siraj and Mukesh Kumar pulling Yashasvi Jaiswal and B. Sai Sudharsan bowled all 11 overs before the end of the game to reduce the deficit to India A 46 runs Mukesh Kumar runs to bowl, Jammu & Kashmir vs Rest of India, Irani Cup, Day 2, Srinagar, October 2, 2026 International stars like Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft that will be held on November 3. Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai reach for the stars as they celebrate England vs Afghanistan, Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, Delhi, October 15, 2023 Tillakaratne Dilshan, Azhar Mahmood and Mark Boucher have been pointed as members of the support staff for the five teams of the upcoming Afghan Prime Minister League. The revamped franchise-based T20 league announced the ctains, head coaches and mentors of the five teams on Monday. Interestingly, the ACB has not yet announced the owners of the franchises; I understand that the owners are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The next step is player selection, which will take place in Dubai on November 3rd. Some of the big international names who have signed up include Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell, Imran Tahir, Akeal Hosein, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Kusal Perera, Imam-ul-Haq, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Charith Asalanka, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan and Sahibzada Farhan. Afghanistan’s biggest international names – Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran – were named team champions.
The full list of clubs, head coaches and mentors are as follows: Kandahar Warriors: Rashid Khan (Head Coach), Ravi Bopara (Head Coach), Irfan Pathan (Mentor) Akcel United Kabul: Azmatullah Omarzai (Team), Shane McDermott (Head Coach), Nikhil Chopra (Mentor) Nangarhar Team: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Team), Toby Radford (Head Coach), Mark Boucher (Mentor) Team Paktia: Rahmat Shah (Head Coach), Azhar Mahmood (Head Coach), Waqar Younis (Mentor) Team Balkh: Ibrahim Zadran (Ctain), Mickey Arthur (Head Coach), Tillakaratne Dilshan (Mentor) The club and head coach line-ups were finalized in a Leaders Draft last week, with the competition scheduled to begin on December 27. Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof hosted the draft with the five mentors selecting their teams and coaches in two rounds. Nearly 1,500 Afghan and international players had registered for the draft, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said recently, the number was later reduced to 462 players for Tuesday’s draft.
Players are selected in the Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging categories. According to the rules, the team size was set at 19 “active players”, with a base team of 17 and up to two additional players in the extra round. The recommended minimum number of Afghan or local players is 12, with a minimum of six and a maximum of seven foreign players.
There can be between three and four foreign players among the eleven players. There must also be at least seven Afghan/local players, including at least one emerging player, in the eleven. The franchise’s salary is set at $725,000 in player compensation.
Other draft rules include: At least one of the two players in the Diamond category must be from Afghanistan. Each franchise must select at least one foreign player in the Platinum category and at least one foreign player in the Diamond category. Each franchise must select at least three foreign players from the first nine selections in the draft. Up to one additional foreign player can be selected in the extra round (maximum seven). was played between five teams. High-profile names such as Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi were involved in the promotion, but it was halted due to payment issues and concerns over the league’s integrity. Although there are no official updates on the websites, it is understood that the inaugural season of the new-look Afghan Premier League will not be played in Afghanistan but in the United Arab Emirates.
International stars such as Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft, which will take place on November 3rd. Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai reach for the stars as they celebrate England vs Afghanistan, Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, Delhi, October 15, 2023. International stars like Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft which will be held on November 3. International stars such as Wanindu Hasaranga, Reeza Hendricks, Romario Shepherd, Rovman Powell and Imran Tahir are part of the draft, which will take place on November 3rd.
