Three cities now have owners, but Afghanistan’s newest T20 league still can’t say where or when it will be played. Kabul, Balkh and Kandahar found buyers at a Dubai ceremony on August 26, while Paktia and Nangarhar remain unsold with no reported bidders. The board opened its player registration portal on August 30 and set September 27 as draft day, promising a mix of Afghan and overseas talent. A full schedule, including venues and fixtures, won’t be announced until the last two owners are confirmed.
Three Cities Sold, Naming Details Contested
Kabul, Balkh and Kandahar became the first three cities to find owners when franchise buyers were unveiled at a ceremony in Dubai on August 26. None of the individual owners have been named publicly anywhere. Reporters at the event were told only that representatives from each franchise attended, without further identification of who is actually paying for the teams.
Even the team names carry some disagreement between outlets. Pajhwok Afghan News, reporting the same week in Afghan-language coverage, listed the franchises with title sponsor prefixes attached: Akcel United Kabul, Shekib Rahimi Balkh Zwanan and Bullfrog Kandahar Warriors. Cricinfo, Gulf News and Tribune India dropped the sponsor tags entirely, running with Axcel United Kabul, Balkh Zwanan and Kandahar Warriors instead.
The city identities tell their own story regardless of the branding fight. Kabul represents the capital, Balkh covers the country’s north, and Zwanan, meaning youth in Pashto, ties the franchise to the region’s young player pool. Kandahar completes the trio from the south of the country, the third of Afghanistan’s five designated franchise cities to be handed over to private ownership.
Two Franchise Slots Still Unsold
Five cities were always earmarked for this competition: Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh, Paktia and Nangarhar. Three have gone, and the two that remain, Paktia and Nangarhar, still don’t have confirmed buyers as registration opens elsewhere in the tournament.
The board has confirmed the selection process for the remaining slots is ongoing, without offering a timeline for when it might close. No bidder has been named for either city in any published report reviewed so far. That absence matters more than it might for a smaller gap, because organisers have also said the full tournament schedule and venue list won’t be released until both remaining owners are locked in, which leaves the calendar incomplete for now.
Afghanistan Premier League 2026 player draft
The registration window that decides who actually plays opened on August 30, giving both Afghan internationals and overseas professionals a chance to sign up before the draft on September 27. Board chairman Mirwais Ashraf has confirmed the player pool will mix domestic and foreign talent, though the detailed structure, including rounds, picks per team and any salary cap, hasn’t been published yet by organisers.
One rule is already locked in regardless of the outstanding details. A board policy passed at the January 14 AGM restricts Afghan players to this tournament plus a maximum of three other foreign T20 leagues a year, and availability for the home competition is mandatory under that same policy. Cricket Venture, a joint venture between Trans Group and ITW Universe, runs the commercial side of the operation, handling broadcast deals and sponsorship while the board focuses on cricketing matters.
International Interest Remains Unconfirmed
Nobody has named a single overseas player as signed, interested, or even approached for this edition of the tournament. No external franchise group linked to the IPL, PSL or CPL has been reported buying in either, despite the stated hope of drawing prominent overseas professionals alongside Afghan stars once the draft process gets moving.
History offers a reference point here. The 2018 edition brought in Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi as marquee overseas names, and organisers have signalled they want a similar mix this time around, even if nobody has been signed. Chairman Ashraf has said the second edition will include both Afghan and international players, though nothing on the international side has moved from intention to confirmation yet.
Until a name gets attached to a contract, the Afghanistan Premier League 2026 player draft remains the only concrete date on the calendar, and everything downstream of it, from overseas signings to the final two franchises, is still an open question for now.