Afghanistan Premier League Unveils Star-Studded Backroom Teams

The revamped Afghanistan Premier League has confirmed the captains, head coaches and mentors for its five franchises, assembling a backroom roster that draws on some of the most experienced names in international cricket.

Irfan Pathan, Waqar Younis, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Azhar Mahmood and Mark Boucher have all been named as mentors. The head coaches include Ravi Bopara, Shane McDermott, Toby Radford, Azhar Mahmood and Mickey Arthur. The line-ups were finalised at a leaders’ draft held last week, hosted by former Sri Lanka allrounder Farveez Maharoof alongside the five mentors, who picked their captains and coaches across two rounds.

The Five Set-Ups

• Kandahar Warriors: Rashid Khan (captain), Ravi Bopara (head coach), Irfan Pathan (mentor)
• Akcel United Kabul: Azmatullah Omarzai (captain), Shane McDermott (head coach), Nikhil Chopra (mentor)
• Nangarhar team: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (captain), Toby Radford (head coach), Mark Boucher (mentor)
• Paktia team: Rahmat Shah (captain), Azhar Mahmood (head coach), Waqar Younis (mentor)
• Balkh team: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Mickey Arthur (head coach), Tillakaratne Dilshan (mentor)

The captains are drawn entirely from Afghanistan’s leading international names, with Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran each entrusted with a franchise.

Draft Awaits

Attention now turns to the players’ draft on November 3 in Dubai. Close to 1500 Afghan and international players registered, with the pool pruned to 462 for the draft. Among the overseas names who have put their names forward are 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.

Selections will be made across the Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging categories. Squad sizes are set at 19 active players, comprising a core draft squad of 17 and up to two additional players in the supplementary round.

Squad Composition Rules

The regulations are designed to balance overseas star power with Afghan representation. Each squad must include a minimum of 12 local players and a minimum of six overseas players, with a maximum of seven. Playing XIs must contain between three and four overseas players, alongside a minimum of seven Afghan or local players including at least one emerging player.

Franchises must select at least one Afghanistan player among their two Diamond category picks, at least one overseas player in the Platinum category and at least one overseas player in the Diamond category. Each must also pick at least three overseas players within the first nine draft selections and may select up to one additional overseas player in the supplementary round. One proposed wildcard pick is permitted per franchise.

The franchise salary cap for player remuneration is set at US$725,000.

A League Relaunched

The Afghanistan Cricket Board first launched an Afghanistan Premier League in early 2018, but only one season was played across five teams. High-profile names such as Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi featured, yet the competition was discontinued following payment issues and concerns around the league’s integrity.

The revamped competition is slated to start on December 27. While there is no official confirmation on venues, it is understood that the inaugural season will not be played in Afghanistan but in the UAE.

                                               

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