Kabul
Akcel United Kabul
Captain: Azmatullah Omarzai
Coach: Shane McDermott
19 players
Afghanistan Premier League APL T20 2026
APL T20 2026 begins on 27 December in the UAE: five franchises, 24 advertised matches and 19-player squads from the Dubai draft. Follow the APL live score, schedule, points table, squads and where to watch, checked against the ACB.
3 Nov · Draft done27 Dec · Opening match5 teams24 matchesUAE venuesMax 4 overseas (reported)
What is APL T20 2026?
The Afghanistan Premier League is the Afghanistan Cricket Board's franchise T20 league. Its only completed season was 2018 in Sharjah, won by Balkh Legends. The relaunched league, operated with ITW MEA under a 10-edition deal, returns on 27 December 2026 with five new franchises: Kandahar Warriors, Team Balkh, Akcel United Kabul, Nangarhar and Paktia.
Each team named an Afghan Icon captain, then filled a 19-player squad at the 3 November draft in Dubai from a pool of 462 players. Fixtures, grounds, tickets and broadcasters had not been announced by 4 November 2026.
APL T20 2026 Schedule
Only the opening date and start time are confirmed. All times Afghanistan time (AFT, UTC+4:30).
| Match | Date | Time | Teams | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | Sun 27 Dec 2026 | 5:00 PM | Not announced | UAE, not announced |
| League matches | Not announced | Not announced | Double round-robin | UAE, not announced |
| Playoffs & final | Not announced | Not announced | Format not announced | UAE, not announced |
APL T20 2026 live score today
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| Team to be announced | — |
| Team to be announced | — |
No live score until the first ball. Ball-by-ball updates will appear on the live scores page.
Latest completed scorecard: 2018 final, Kabul Zwanan 132/9 (20) vs Balkh Legends 138/6 (18.1).
APL 2026 Live Streaming
No TV or streaming partner for APL 2026 matches had been announced as of 4 November 2026. The player draft was streamed free on the ACB and APL T20 YouTube channels. Official partners will be listed in the where to watch guide as soon as they are confirmed.
APL 2026 Points Table
Every team starts on zero. The table updates after each result.
| Team | M | W | L | Form | NRR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akcel United Kabul | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
| Balkh Zwanan | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
| Kandahar Warriors | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
| Nangarhar Cosmic | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
| Paktia | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0.000 | 0 |
APL 2026 Teams
All five franchises announced, each with a 19-player squad from the 3 November 2026 draft in Dubai.
Balkh
Balkh Zwanan
Captain: Ibrahim Zadran
Coach: Mickey Arthur
19 players
Kandahar
Kandahar Warriors
Captain: Rashid Khan
Coach: Ravi Bopara
19 players
Nangarhar
Nangarhar Cosmic
Captain: Rahmat Shah
Coach: Toby Radford
19 players
Paktia
Paktia
Captain: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Coach: Azhar Mahmood
19 players
APL 2026 Latest News
APL 2026 Draft Results: Amir First Pick, 90 Players Picked
Ninety players, 18 rounds, six categories. Kandahar Warriors opened with Muhammad Amir; Nangarhar Cosmic opened Silver and Emerging.
APL 2026 Squads Confirmed: All Five 19-Player Teams
Rashid has Amir and Nabi. Zadran has Moeen. Gurbaz has Hasaranga and Noor. A team-by-team read of the official lists.
APL 2026 Start Date: 27 December in the UAE, Key Facts
The date and the country are fixed. The grounds, the fixture list and the broadcasters are not.
APL Statistics
2026 stats start with the first ball. Until then, the leaders from the only completed season, 2018.
| Player | Team | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Shahzad | Paktia Panthers | 344 |
| Hazratullah Zazai | Kabul Zwanan | 322 |
| Chris Gayle | Balkh Legends | 315 |
| Laurie Evans | Kabul Zwanan | 305 |
| Ryan ten Doeschate | Balkh Legends | 274 |
| Player | Team | Wkts |
|---|---|---|
| Isuru Udana | Paktia Panthers | 17 |
APL T20 2026 Season Guide
Teams
5 franchises
Kandahar, Balkh, Kabul, Nangarhar and Paktia, each led by an Afghan Icon captain.
Squads
19 players each
Picked over 18 rounds in Dubai. Muhammad Amir went first to Kandahar.
Format
24 matches
Double round-robin, then playoffs. Playoff format not officially announced.
History
Balkh Legends, 2018
The only champions. The 2026 clubs are new and do not inherit that title.
New to the league? The APL 2026 guide puts teams, draft, schedule and FAQs on one page.
APL 2026 venues
The ACB says the 2026 edition will be played at ICC-approved venues in the UAE. Specific grounds had not been named by 4 November 2026. Every match of 2018 was played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Where to Watch APL 2026
| Region | TV | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Not announced | Not announced |
| Pakistan | Not announced | Not announced |
| India | Not announced | Not announced |
| UAE / Middle East | Not announced | Not announced |
| UK | Not announced | Not announced |
| Rest of world | Not announced | Not announced |
Organiser
Afghanistan Cricket Board
Owns and sanctions the league. acb.af
Operator
ITW MEA / Cricket Ventures
10-edition commercial deal signed July 2025; rights held by Cricket Ventures LLC-FZ.
Broadcast & tickets
Not announced
TV, OTT and ticketing partners will be added when the league names them.
APL T20 2026 frequently asked questions
When does the 2026 season start?
The first ball is 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (the official APL site lists it as 5:30 PM Afghanistan time). The two teams and the ground for that match had not been published in the sources checked on 3 November 2026.
Where is APL 2026 being played?
In the United Arab Emirates. The ACB says the first edition will be hosted at ICC-approved venues in the UAE, and that later editions may move elsewhere. The individual grounds had not been named by 4 November 2026. The whole 2018 tournament was played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
What are the APL 2026 squads?
The squads were set at the player draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026. 90 players were picked from a pool of 462 across 18 rounds, and with the five Afghan Icon captains already assigned each franchise has 19 players. The ACB published the full lists the same day; the squads page reproduces them.
Where can I check the latest APL news?
The official sources are the Afghanistan Cricket Board (acb.af) and the league site (apl-t20.com). This site's news section summarises their announcements, such as the 3 November 2026 draft, with links back to the source.
Are APL 2026 tickets and live streaming available yet?
Not as of 4 November 2026. No ticketing partner and no TV or streaming partner for matches had been announced. The draft was streamed on the ACB and APL T20 YouTube channels. This page will be updated when official channels are named.
Who won the APL?
Balkh Legends won the 2018 final, beating Kabul Zwanan by four wickets at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. No later season has been completed, so they are the only champions. The 2026 clubs do not inherit that title.