Afghanistan Premier League (APL), the new T20 franchise league that is set and run by Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), is set to start in a big way as the global cricket stars Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kumara Sangakkara will feature in the tournament.

The inaugural season of this tournament has been scheduled to be played between 5 and 23 October 2018 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium (Sharjah, UAE). Five teams will participate in the inaugural competition which will represent five regions of Afghanistan – Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktia and Balkh.

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Prior to the tournament, the tournament organisers will conduct a draft system to distribute the players in the five participating teams. The draft will be organised in the first week of this September in Dubai.

The CEO of ACB, Mr Shafiqullah Stanikzai, said about the new initiative, “The Afghanistan Cricket Board has achieved in its short stint not only the Full Member status of ICC (International Cricket Council) as well as Test status. We are delighted that today we witness the launch of our own league which will provide global fans and audience an opportunity to watch competitive cricket both at the stadium and on their TV screens worldwide.

“APL is envisioned to become a leading platform for local and international players to showcase their talent, provide a landscape for the development of coaching and playing infrastructures, mentor emerging cricketers, engage with fans all over the world, and provide lucrative opportunities for brands and businesses to connect with the global market.”

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Meanwhile, the investment partner of APL, Snixer Sports’ CEO Mr Ashish Sethi spoke about the presence of big global cricketing stars along with the Afghanistan cricketers.

Sethi said on this occasion, “We already have registrations from key international players who already have a reputation in the T20 format. This include Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Khan, Brendon McCullum, Misbah ul Haq, Kumar Sangakara, Thisara Perera, Imran Tahir and Tamim Iqbal. ACB has already produced great cricketing stars like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, Mohammad Nabi and with the APL T20 we look forward to creating a platform for cricketing stars to showcase their talent.”