Irfan Pathan, Mark Boucher, Waqar Younis among mentors for inaugural Afghanistan Premier League

The Afghanistan Cricket Board on November 2, 2026 confirmed the mentors, head coaches and captains for all five franchises ahead of the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League, which is scheduled to begin on December 27. High-profile names including Irfan Pathan, Mark Boucher, Waqar Younis, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Azhar Mahmood have been appointed as mentors across the five teams.

The leaders’ draft, which was held during the week of October 25, 2026, allowed head coaches to finalise their captains across two rounds. Former Sri Lanka allrounder Farveez Maharoof was also part of the process hosted alongside the five mentors and captains. The players’ draft is scheduled for November 3 in Dubai, where franchises will build out their full squads.

Among the international players registered for the Dubai draft 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. Afghanistan captains confirmed across the five sides include Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran.

Which support staff has each franchise secured?

Rashid Khan will lead the Kandahar Warriors, with Ravi Bopara serving as head coach and Irfan Pathan taking on the mentor role. Azmatullah Omarzai captains Akcel United Kabul, supported by head coach Shane McDermott and mentor Nikhil Chopra.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz leads the Nangarhar franchise, where Toby Radford is head coach and Mark Boucher fills the mentor position. Rahmat Shah captains the Paktia side, with Azhar Mahmood as head coach and Waqar Younis as mentor. Ibrahim Zadran heads the Balkh team, which has Mickey Arthur as head coach and Tillakaratne Dilshan as mentor.

How will the draft and squad rules work for the APL?

Close to 1,500 Afghan cricketers registered for the draft pool, which was pruned to 462 players in total. Each franchise will build a core squad of 17 players through the main draft, with two additional players available via a supplementary round, bringing the active squad size to 19. Each franchise also holds one proposed wildcard pick.

Each squad must contain a minimum of 12 Afghan or local players and can include a maximum of seven overseas players. Playing XIs are required to field between three and four overseas players, with at least one emerging player included. Franchises must select at least one overseas player from the Platinum category and at least two from the Diamond category, of which at least one must be an Afghan.

Each franchise is required to pick at least three overseas players among their first nine draft selections, and one additional overseas player may be added in the supplementary round to reach the seven-player overseas limit. The franchise salary cap for player remuneration has been set at US$725,000.

Though the Afghanistan Premier League carries the same name as a competition launched in early 2018, that earlier edition ran for only one season across five teams before being discontinued due to payment issues and integrity concerns. The 2026 edition represents a fresh start for franchise cricket in Afghanistan.