APL T20 2026 guide
The 2026 season starts on 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (official site: 5:00 PM Dubai time) in the UAE. Five new franchises play it. Each has a 19-player squad from the 3 November draft in Dubai. The fixture list has not been published yet.
APL 2026 overview
- First ball
- 27 December 2026, 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (official site: 5:00 PM Dubai time)
- Host
- United Arab Emirates, at ICC-approved venues
- Teams
- 5 new franchises
- Format
- Double round-robin, then playoffs
- Matches
- 24 advertised; fixture list not published
- Squads
- 19 players each, from the 3 November 2026 Dubai draft
- Trophy
- Koh-e-Zafar, unveiled August 2026
- Tickets
- Not on sale; no seller or price announced
- Broadcast
- Not announced
APL 2026 teams
Five franchises play the 2026 season. Each one is new. None of them inherits the record of the 2018 club from the same city. Captains are the Afghan Icons. Coaches and mentors were set at the leaders' draft in late October, with one captain swap on 3 November.
| Team | Captain | Head coach | Mentor | Platinum pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akcel United Kabul | Azmatullah Omarzai | Shane McDermott | Nikhil Chopra | Johnson Charles |
| Balkh Zwanan | Ibrahim Zadran | Mickey Arthur | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Moeen Ali |
| Kandahar Warriors | Rashid Khan | Ravi Bopara | Irfan Pathan | Muhammad Amir |
| Nangarhar Cosmic | Rahmat Shah | Toby Radford | Mark Boucher | Alex Hales |
| Paktia | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Azhar Mahmood | Waqar Younis | Wanindu Hasaranga |
Full squads, key players and fixtures status live on each team page. Every name is on the squads page.
APL 2026 draft explained
The draft ran for 18 rounds in Dubai on 3 November 2026. Ninety players were picked from a pool of 462. Each franchise ended with 19 players: its Afghan Icon captain plus 18 picks. Categories ran from Platinum down to Emerging, with two supplementary rounds after the Emerging order. The first pick in each category was not drawn from a hat. The APL Huddle put each leadership group through five games, one per category. Win the game, open the category. Later rounds were randomised.
Salary brackets were reported before the draft by Cricbuzz and ESPN. The ACB draft release itself lists categories, not wages. The brackets below are the reported figures.
| Category | Picks | Reported salary |
|---|---|---|
| Afghan Icon | 5 | Not published in checked sources |
| Platinum | 5 | $100,000 |
| Diamond | 10 | $65,000 |
| Gold (including 1 Wildcard pick) | 25 | $40,000 |
| Silver | 25 | $20,000 |
| Emerging | 15 | $10,000 |
| Supplementary | 10 | Not published in checked sources |
| Total | 95 |
| Category | Opens with |
|---|---|
| Platinum | Kandahar Warriors |
| Diamond | Kandahar Warriors |
| Gold | Akcel United Kabul |
| Silver | Nangarhar Cosmic |
| Emerging | Nangarhar Cosmic |
Paktia picked second in the opening Gold and Emerging rounds. The full draft story, including the captain swap, is on the draft page.
APL 2026 overseas players by country
Twenty-seven squad players carry a country in brackets in the ACB release. England accounts for seven of them, the largest group. The table below counts the country shown in brackets next to each name in the release.
| Country | Players |
|---|---|
| England | 7 |
| Sri Lanka | 4 |
| Bangladesh | 3 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| UAE | 2 |
| West Indies | 2 |
| Namibia | 2 |
| Scotland | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| Australia | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| Total | 27 |
APL 2026 trophy: the Koh-e-Zafar
The winners lift the Koh-e-Zafar. It was unveiled at the Dubai launch ceremony in August 2026. The design takes its shape from Afghanistan's mountain ranges. No team has lifted it yet, because the season has not been played.
What is confirmed and what is not
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Opener: 27 December 2026, 5:30 PM Afghanistan time | Confirmed |
| Host: UAE, ICC-approved venues | Confirmed |
| Five franchises | Confirmed |
| 19-player squads (ACB 3 November release) | Confirmed |
| Captains, coaches, mentors (including the 3 November swap) | Confirmed |
| Trophy: Koh-e-Zafar, unveiled August 2026 | Confirmed |
| Fixture list | Not published |
| Venues inside the UAE | Not named |
| Broadcasters and streaming partners | Not announced |
| Tickets: seller and prices | Not announced |
| Playoff format | Not officially announced |
| Match total | Advertised as 24; one reference page lists 23 — the fixture list will settle it |
What happens next
The next announcement that changes this site is the fixture list. It will settle the match total, the venues inside the UAE, and the playoff shape. Broadcast and ticket announcements follow their own timetable. The schedule, where-to-watch and tickets pages will carry each one when it lands.
APL 2026 guide FAQs
When does APL 2026 start?
27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (official site: 5:00 PM Dubai time). The match, the teams and the venue for that first ball have not been announced.
Where is APL 2026 played?
In the UAE, at ICC-approved venues. The grounds inside the UAE have not been named yet.
How many teams play APL 2026?
Five: Akcel United Kabul, Balkh Zwanan, Kandahar Warriors, Nangarhar Cosmic and Paktia. Each has a 19-player squad.
How many matches will APL 2026 have?
The official site advertises 24 matches, played as a double round-robin followed by playoffs. The fixture list has not been published, so that total is still advertised rather than fixed. One reference page lists 23.
How did the APL 2026 draft work?
Ninety players were picked over 18 rounds in Dubai on 3 November 2026, from a pool of 462. Categories ran from Platinum to Emerging, with two supplementary rounds. The first pick in each category came from the APL Huddle games.
Are APL 2026 tickets and broadcasts announced?
No. No ticket seller, price, broadcaster or streaming partner had been announced as of 4 November 2026.
More questions live on the FAQ page. The 2018 season, the only one played, is on the 2018 season page.
Last updated 1 November 2026, 08:40 GST