Akcel United Kabul logo

Akcel United Kabul Squad 2026

Omarzai (Icon) leads. Drafted Johnson Charles, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Imran Tahir. Coach Shane McDermott.

Akcel United Kabul is the Kabul city franchise in the revived Afghanistan Premier League. The side was one of the first three identities unveiled in August 2026, alongside Balkh Zwanan and Kandahar Warriors. Draft paperwork has also called the same club Akcel Kabul United. This site uses Akcel United Kabul, and treats the word-order difference as a naming inconsistency, not a second team.

Azmatullah Omarzai is captain and the franchise's Afghan Icon. Shane McDermott is head coach. Nikhil Chopra is mentor. At the 3 November 2026 draft in Dubai, Kabul took West Indies keeper-batter Johnson Charles in Platinum, then Fazalhaq Farooqi and Dushmantha Chameera in Diamond, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman with the first Gold pick. D'Arcy Short, Shamim Hossain, Imran Tahir, Hazratullah Zazai and Curtis Campher complete a 19-man squad that leans on left-arm pace and wrist spin.

Quick Facts

City
Kabul
Captain
Azmatullah Omarzai
Head coach
Shane McDermott
Mentor
Nikhil Chopra
Debut season
2026–27
Titles
None yet
Home ground
UAE venue to be confirmed
Owner
Not formally announced
Squad size
19 players

Akcel United Kabul key players 2026

Akcel United Kabul full squad 2026

19 players, ACB draft release, 3 November 2026. Players are grouped by draft category, in draft order.

Afghan Icon

Platinum

Diamond

Gold

Silver

Emerging

Supplementary

Akcel United Kabul squad poster

Akcel United Kabul squad 2026 poster

Akcel United Kabul overseas signings 2026

Johnson Charles (West Indies), Dushmantha Chameera (Sri Lanka), D’Arcy Short (Australia), Shamim Hossain (Bangladesh), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Curtis Campher (Ireland).

Akcel United Kabul Fixtures 2026

Akcel United Kabul record

Played 0, won 0. Akcel United Kabul is a new franchise and starts the 2026 season with no APL record. The 2018 side from Kabul was a different club; its results stay with that club.

Kabul's 2018 side was Kabul Zwanan, captained by Rashid Khan, and it finished runner-up to Balkh Legends. That club is not this club. City names overlap. Ownership, badge and squad do not carry over. Akcel United Kabul starts 2026 with a blank APL record.

Earlier reporting named an AKCEL Group buyer for the Kabul rights. ESPNcricinfo wrote on 2 November 2026 that franchise owners had still not been formally announced by the board. Owner names stay in the to-be-confirmed box until an ACB or APL release settles them.

Akcel United Kabul coaching staff 2026

Head coach
Shane McDermott
Mentor
Nikhil Chopra
Captain (Afghan Icon)
Azmatullah Omarzai

Akcel United Kabul latest news

Frequently asked questions

Who is in the Akcel United Kabul squad?

19 players, led by Azmatullah Omarzai. Headline picks: Johnson Charles (West Indies), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Dushmantha Chameera (Sri Lanka). Source: ACB draft release, 3 November 2026.

Is Akcel United Kabul the same club as the 2018 side from Kabul?

No. The city is shared. The franchise, the badge and the results are not. Titles stay with the club that won them.

Where do they play?

In the UAE at ICC-approved venues. Specific grounds had not been announced as of 4 November 2026.

Last updated 3 November 2026, 14:20 GST