AFG *159/6 (48 ov)
ZIM 339/10 (114.5 ov)AFGHANISTAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2026-27 — SQUADS & CAPTAINS
- 5 franchises
- 19 players per squad
- 3 Nov 2026 draft
Source note. Full squads are transcribed from the official team squad graphics. ‘Overseas’ marks the international (non-Afghan) players; the rest are Afghan or local. Each franchise drafted a 19-player squad at the 3 November 2026 draft, led by an Afghan Icon captain and one Platinum-tier overseas signing.
The Afghanistan Premier League 2026-27 features five city-based franchises: Akcel United Kabul, Team Balkh, Kandahar Warriors, Nangarhar Cosmic and Team Paktia. Each is captained by one of Afghanistan’s leading players and built a 19-member squad at the player draft held on 3 November 2026 in Dubai, combining home talent with overseas professionals.
Every squad is led by an Afghan Icon captain and includes one Platinum-tier overseas signing, with a cap of seven overseas players per team. Below are the five teams at a glance, followed by the complete squad list for each franchise.
Teams at a Glance
| Team | Captain | Marquee (Platinum) Signing | Overseas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akcel United Kabul (KAB) | Azmatullah Omarzai | Johnson Charles | 6 |
| Team Balkh (BAL) | Ibrahim Zadran | Moeen Ali | 6 |
| Kandahar Warriors (KAN) | Rashid Khan | Mohammad Amir | 6 |
| Nangarhar Cosmic (NAN) | Rahmat Shah | Alex Hales | 5 |
| Team Paktia (PAK) | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Wanindu Hasaranga | 6 |
Each franchise has a 19-player squad. ‘Overseas’ is the count of international players in the squad.
Akcel United Kabul Squad
Captain: Azmatullah Omarzai (Kabul). Platinum signing: Johnson Charles. The squad’s overseas players are Johnson Charles, Dushmantha Chameera, D’Arcy Short, Shamim Hossain, Imran Tahir, Curtis Campher.
| No. | Player | Draft category | Nationality / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azmatullah Omarzai (C) | Captain (Afghan Icon) | — |
| 2 | Johnson Charles | Platinum (overseas) | West Indies · Platinum |
| 3 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | Diamond | — |
| 4 | Dushmantha Chameera | Diamond (overseas) | Sri Lanka |
| 5 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Gold | — |
| 6 | Imran Mir | Afghan | — |
| 7 | D'Arcy Short | Overseas | Australia |
| 8 | Sharafuddin Ashraf | Afghan | — |
| 9 | Shamim Hossain | Overseas | Bangladesh |
| 10 | Imran Tahir | Overseas | South Africa |
| 11 | Hazratullah Zazai | Afghan | — |
| 12 | Abdul Rahman Rahmani | Afghan | — |
| 13 | Dawood Ahmadzai | Afghan | — |
| 14 | Saleem Safi | Afghan | — |
| 15 | Uzairullah Niazai | Afghan | — |
| 16 | Khalid Ahmadzai | Afghan | — |
| 17 | Keramatullah | Afghan | — |
| 18 | Baheer Shah Mehboob | Afghan | — |
| 19 | Curtis Campher | Overseas | Ireland |
Akcel United Kabul squad, schedule & profile →
Team Balkh Squad
Captain: Ibrahim Zadran (Balkh). Platinum signing: Moeen Ali. The squad’s overseas players are Moeen Ali, Luke Wood, Muhammad Waseem, Thomas Moores, Colin Ackermann, Christopher Wood.
| No. | Player | Draft category | Nationality / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ibrahim Zadran (C) | Captain (Afghan Icon) | — |
| 2 | Moeen Ali | Platinum (overseas) | England · Platinum |
| 3 | Mohammad Ghazanfar | Diamond | — |
| 4 | Luke Wood | Overseas | England |
| 5 | Gulbadin Naib | Gold | — |
| 6 | Sediqullah Atal | Afghan | — |
| 7 | Muhammad Waseem | Overseas | UAE |
| 8 | Afsar Khan Zazai | Afghan | — |
| 9 | Abdullah Ahmadzai | Afghan | — |
| 10 | Thomas Moores | Overseas | England |
| 11 | Zia ur Rehman Akbar | Afghan | — |
| 12 | Abdullah Tarakhail | Afghan | — |
| 13 | Colin Ackermann | Overseas | Netherlands |
| 14 | M. Waqar Salamkheil | Afghan | — |
| 15 | Salaam Khan Ahmadzai | Afghan | — |
| 16 | Azizullah Miakhil | Afghan | — |
| 17 | Abdul Aziz Khan | Afghan | — |
| 18 | Qais Ahmad | Supplementary | — |
| 19 | Christopher Wood | Overseas | England |
Team Balkh squad, schedule & profile →
Kandahar Warriors Squad
Captain: Rashid Khan (Kandahar). Platinum signing: Mohammad Amir. The squad’s overseas players are Mohammad Amir, Joe Clarke, Tymal Mills, Kusal Perera, Duwaine Pretorius, George Munsey.
| No. | Player | Draft category | Nationality / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashid Khan (C) | Captain (Afghan Icon) | — |
| 2 | Mohammad Amir | Platinum (overseas) | Pakistan · Platinum |
| 3 | Mohammad Nabi | Diamond | — |
| 4 | Joe Clarke | Diamond (overseas) | England |
| 5 | Karim Janat | Afghan | — |
| 6 | Tymal Mills | Overseas | England |
| 7 | Hassan Eisakhil | Afghan | — |
| 8 | Farid Ahmad Malik | Afghan | — |
| 9 | Kusal Perera | Gold (overseas) | Sri Lanka |
| 10 | Mohammad Shahzad | Afghan | — |
| 11 | Muslim Musa | Afghan | — |
| 12 | Duwaine Pretorius | Overseas | South Africa |
| 13 | George Munsey | Overseas | Scotland |
| 14 | Allah Noor Naseri | Afghan | — |
| 15 | Noman Shah | Afghan | — |
| 16 | Usman Khan | Afghan | — |
| 17 | Naseer Maroof Khil | Afghan | — |
| 18 | Shawkat Zaman | Afghan | — |
| 19 | Ibrahim Masood | Afghan | — |
Kandahar Warriors squad, schedule & profile →
Nangarhar Cosmic Squad
Captain: Rahmat Shah (Nangarhar). Platinum signing: Alex Hales. The squad’s overseas players are Alex Hales, Shakib Al Hasan, Kamindu Mendis, Junaid Siddique, Amir Jangoo.
| No. | Player | Draft category | Nationality / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahmat Shah (C) | Captain (Afghan Icon) | — |
| 2 | Alex Hales | Platinum (overseas) | England · Platinum |
| 3 | Darwish Rasooli | Diamond | — |
| 4 | Shakib Al Hasan | Diamond (overseas) | Bangladesh |
| 5 | Kamindu Mendis | Gold (overseas) | Sri Lanka |
| 6 | Ziawrahman Sharifi | Afghan | — |
| 7 | M. Akram Zazai | Afghan | — |
| 8 | Ikram Alikhil | Afghan | — |
| 9 | Junaid Siddique | Overseas | UAE |
| 10 | Zahir Khan Pakten | Afghan | — |
| 11 | Ismatullah Alam | Afghan | — |
| 12 | M. Yamin Ahmadzai | Afghan | — |
| 13 | Amir Jangoo | Overseas | West Indies |
| 14 | Shafiqullah Ghafari | Afghan | — |
| 15 | Faisal Khan Shinozada | Afghan | — |
| 16 | Bahar Ali Shinwari | Afghan | — |
| 17 | Islam Khan Zazai | Afghan | — |
| 18 | Aftab Alam | Afghan | — |
| 19 | Zubairullah Akbari | Afghan | — |
Nangarhar Cosmic squad, schedule & profile →
Team Paktia Squad
Captain: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Paktia). Platinum signing: Wanindu Hasaranga. The squad’s overseas players are Wanindu Hasaranga, Nahid Rana, David Wiese, Colin Munro, Gerhard Erasmus, Olly Stone.
| No. | Player | Draft category | Nationality / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (C) | Captain (Afghan Icon) | — |
| 2 | Wanindu Hasaranga | Platinum (overseas) | Sri Lanka · Platinum |
| 3 | Noor Ahmad | Diamond | — |
| 4 | Nahid Rana | Overseas | Bangladesh |
| 5 | Ijaz Ahmadzai | Afghan | — |
| 6 | Farmanullah Safi | Afghan | — |
| 7 | David Wiese | Overseas | Namibia |
| 8 | Colin Munro | Gold (overseas) | New Zealand |
| 9 | Hashmatullah Shahidi | Gold | — |
| 10 | H Lakanwal | Afghan | — |
| 11 | Nangeyalia Kharoti | Afghan | — |
| 12 | Gerhard Erasmus | Overseas | Namibia |
| 13 | Olly Stone | Overseas | England |
| 14 | Masood Gurbaz | Afghan | — |
| 15 | Abid Mohammadi | Afghan | — |
| 16 | Khalid Taniwal | Afghan | — |
| 17 | Wahidullah Zadran | Afghan | — |
| 18 | Sediqullah Pacha | Afghan | — |
| 19 | Khalil Gurbaz | Afghan | — |
Team Paktia squad, schedule & profile →
APL 2026-27 Teams FAQs
How many teams are in the APL 2026-27?
Five franchises: Akcel United Kabul, Team Balkh, Kandahar Warriors, Nangarhar Cosmic and Team Paktia. Each built a 19-player squad at the November 2026 draft.
Who are the captains of the APL 2026-27 teams?
Azmatullah Omarzai captains Akcel United Kabul, Ibrahim Zadran leads Team Balkh, Rashid Khan captains Kandahar Warriors, Rahmat Shah leads Nangarhar Cosmic and Rahmanullah Gurbaz captains Team Paktia.
Who are the biggest overseas signings?
The Platinum-tier picks are Johnson Charles (Akcel United Kabul), Moeen Ali (Team Balkh), Mohammad Amir (Kandahar Warriors), Alex Hales (Nangarhar Cosmic) and Wanindu Hasaranga (Team Paktia).
How many overseas players can each team have?
Each squad can include up to seven overseas players and must have at least 12 Afghan or local players, within a 19-member squad.
How were the squads chosen?
Through a player draft on 3 November 2026 in Dubai, using fixed fee categories (Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, Emerging) plus an Afghan Icon captain and supplementary and wildcard picks, rather than an open-bidding auction.
Which overseas stars are playing in the APL 2026-27?
Among the international names are Moeen Ali, Mohammad Amir, Alex Hales, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shakib Al Hasan, Kamindu Mendis, Johnson Charles, Dushmantha Chameera, Imran Tahir, Curtis Campher, Colin Munro, David Wiese, George Munsey, Tymal Mills and Kusal Perera.
Who are the marquee Afghan players?
Each team is built around Afghan stars, including captains Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmat Shah, plus names such as Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib.
When does the APL 2026-27 start?
The season begins on 27 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates. The full fixture will be confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board closer to the tournament.
Last updated 14 November 2026