Afghanistan Premier League: ACB confident of APL revival despite pending franchise deals

Afghanistan Cricket Board officials said that five parties are interested to fill the remaining two franchise spots in the upcoming Afghanistan Premier League, scheduled to resume from December 27. The parties include one from Afghanistan, and others from India and other markets, with the ACB locking in three owners already as they plan to launch a five-team tournament. The inaugural edition will be held in the UAE, but the ACB has kept the option of moving the league to another location in the future open. However, it was reported that the APL could be postponed owing to the ACB’s difficulty in finding parties for the tournament which is set to resume after the inaugural edition in 2018. Five teams - Balkh Legends, Kabul Zwanan, Kandahar Knights, Nangarhar Leopards and Paktia Panthers - featured in the inaugural edition of the APL in 2018, with Balkh Legends emerging victorious. Since then, multiple attempts to revive the tournament have been unsuccessful, with the second edition postponed after the ACB scrapped the league's sanction and commercial rights agreement with Snixer Sports over the non-payment of full rights fees. When contacted by Cricbuzz, ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan brushed aside possibilities of postponing the tournament due to the non-availability of interested parties to take up remaining two franchise spots. “The Afghanistan Cricket Board remains fully committed to delivering the APL as planned. As everyone is aware, the league is being revived after a considerable period, and we have therefore taken a careful and strategic approach to selecting our commercial partner and franchisees,” said Naseeb. “ACB, together with our commercial partner, is in close communication with these parties, and we are working to finalise the remaining two franchise agreements as soon as possible. “It is important to highlight that the commercial partners and franchisees are among the most important stakeholders of the league and are expected to remain involved for the long term. Therefore our priority is not simply to fill the remaining positions quickly, but to ensure that we select credible, financially capable and experienced partners who can contribute to the sustainable growth of the APL,” he added. Naseeb reiterated that the APL is on track to go on floors again this December, with a player draft scheduled later this month. “I would like to make it clear that the APL is firmly scheduled for this year with five teams. The player draft is scheduled for the last week of October, and the league will officially commence on 27 December 2026. The response from players has also been very encouraging, with around 1,500 players registered, including a number of top international players from around the world,” Naseeb said. “A specific committee is currently working on the screening and assessment of registered players in line with the approved criteria. A pool of Afghan coaches has also been assigned and will be presented for the draft in the coming days. The remaining coaching staff and team captains will likewise be selected based on the approved criteria and the requirements of each franchise which will be available for the draft,” he said. Naseeb added that he is hopeful that English cricketers will be available for APL. This is despite the fact that the English national team refused to play Afghanistan in bilateral series due to the Taliban government's treatment of women. There was doubt regarding the participation of English cricketers in APL, and uncertainty on whether they would receive NOC from the ECB. “ACB highly values its relationship with all our fellow cricket boards, including the England and Wales Cricket Board, and we remain committed to maintaining a positive, respectful and cooperative relationship with them,” Naseeb said. “Our understanding is that the continued growth of cricket depends on strong cooperation among cricket boards, particularly in facilitating player participation in different forms of cricket, including franchise leagues around the world, subject to the respective boards’ policies, schedules and contractual considerations. “ACB has always supported and facilitated the participation of our players in England, various leagues and competitions, and we look forward to the same spirit of cooperation for the APL. We are confident that this mutual understanding and support will continue to benefit the players, the respective boards and the long-term development of cricket globally,” he added.