Afghanistan Premier League
 | |
| Countries | Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Afghanistan Cricket Board |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| First edition | League |
| Latest edition | 2018 |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin and Knockout |
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Current champion | Balkh Legends (1st title) |
| Most successful | Balkh Legends (1 title) |
| Most runs | Mohammad Shahzad (344) |
| Most wickets | Isuru Udana (17) |
| Website | aplt20.tv |
The Afghanistan Premier League (Pashto: د افغانستان غوره لیګ; Persian: لیگ برتر افغانستان), officially Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League for sponsorship reasons, was a Twenty20 cricket franchise tournament run by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), held in the United Arab Emirates.[1][2])[3] The only tournament took place between 5 and 21 October 2018 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium,[4][1] with up to forty overseas players involved.[5][6] Five teams were selected to compete, named after regions of Afghanistan.[7] In August 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved plans for the tournament.[8]
In September 2018, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that they would not give No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the active Pakistani players.[9] In October 2018, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) denied to give NOCs to Mohammad Mithun and Soumya Sarkar.[10]
Balkh Legends won the title, after beating Kabul Zwanan by four wickets in the final.[11][12]
History
The Afghanistan Cricket Board have said that they are planning to re-launch the Afghanistan Premier League, country's franchise-based T20 tournament that was postponed after the inaugural edition, in 2025.[13]
Teams
  Balkh Legends Kabul Zwanan Kandahar Knights Paktia Super Kings Nangarhar Leopards Location of Afghanistan Premier League teams |
| Team | City | Region | Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balkh Legends | Mazar-i-Sharif | North | Simon Helmot | Mohammad Nabi |
| Kabul Zwanan | Kabul | Central | Heath Streak | Rashid Khan |
| Kandahar Knights | Kandahar | Southwest | Kabir Ali | Asghar Afghan |
| Nangarhar Leopards | Jalalabad | East | Venkatesh Prasad | Ben Cutting |
| Paktia Super Kings | Khost, Loya Paktia | Southeast | Dawlat Ahmadzai | Shahid Afridi |
Squads
The following squads were announced for the tournament:[14]
Overall season results
Balkh Legends beat Kabul Zwanan by four wickets in the league's only final, played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Rashid Khan was the player of the tournament.[15]
League stage
Points table
| Team[16] | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balkh Legends | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | +0.782 |
| Paktia Panthers | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | +0.144 |
| Kabul Zwanan | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | –0.070 |
| Nangarhar Leopards | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | –0.582 |
| Kandahar Knights | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | –0.226 |
- The top four teams qualified for the playoffs
- Advanced to Semifinals
Matches
The following fixtures were confirmed in September 2018.[17]
Paktia Panthers 218/4 (20 overs) | v | Kabul Zwanan 220/7 (19.1 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
- Zahir Shehzad (Kabul Zwanan) made his T20 debut.
Kandahar Knights 139/9 (20 overs) | v | Nangarhar Leopards 142/4 (18.3 overs) |
- Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to bat.
- Waqar Salamkheil (Kandahar Knights) made his T20 debut.
- Ben Cutting (Nangarhar Leopards) took a hat-trick.
Kabul Zwanan 176/6 (20 overs) | v | Balkh Legends 177/2 (18.5 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to field.
Paktia Panthers 184/8 (20 overs) | v | Nangarhar Leopards 163/6 (20 overs) |
- Paktia Panthers won the toss and elected to bat.
- Azmatullah Omarzai (Paktia Panthers) made his T20 debut.
Balkh Legends 165/5 (20 overs) | v | Kandahar Knights 152/7 (20 overs) |
- Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to field.
Nangarhar Leopards 188/5 (20 overs) | v | Kabul Zwanan 191/3 (17.5 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
Paktia Panthers 204/4 (20 overs) | v | Balkh Legends 167 (19 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to field.
- Ziaur Rahman (Paktia Panthers) made his T20 debut.
Kabul Zwanan 173/6 (20 overs) | v | Kandahar Knights 171/7 (20 overs) |
- Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to field.
Balkh Legends 143/7 (20 overs) | v | Nangarhar Leopards 118 (19.1 overs) |
- Nangarhar Leopards won the toss and elected to field.
Paktia Panthers 127 (18.2 overs) | v | Kandahar Knights 118 (19.4 overs) |
- Paktia Panthers won the toss and elected to bat.
Nangarhar Leopards 182/5 (20 overs) | v | Kabul Zwanan 167/9 (20 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
Balkh Legends 195/4 (20 overs) | v | Paktia Panthers 106 (15.2 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Kandahar Knights 136/8 (20 overs) | v | Nangarhar Leopards 110 (19.3 overs) |
- Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to bat.
Balkh Legends 244/6 (20 overs) | v | Kabul Zwanan 223/7 (20 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Nangarhar Leopards 126 (20 overs) | v | Paktia Panthers 129/3 (14.4 overs) |
- Nangarhar Leopards won the toss and elected to bat.
Kandahar Knights 152/5 (20 overs) | v | Kabul Zwanan 153/6 (19.1 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
Balkh Legends 133/7 (20 overs) | v | Nangarhar Leopards 134/4 (18 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Paktia Panthers 167/7 (20 overs) | v | Kandahar Knights 168/6 (20 overs) |
- Paktia Panthers won the toss and elected to bat.
Kandahar Knights 141/9 (20 overs) | v | Balkh Legends 142/4 (17.5 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to field.
- Samiullah (Balkh Legends) made his T20 debut.
Kabul Zwanan 168/4 (20 overs) | v | Paktia Panthers 172/4 (19.4 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to bat.
- Usman Adil (Kabul Zwanan) made his T20 debut.
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Balkh Legends | 235/5 (20 overs) | |||||||
| 4 | Nangarhar Leopards | 64 (13.1 overs) | |||||||
| 1 | Balkh Legends | 138/6 (18.1 overs) | |||||||
| 3 | Kabul Zwanan | 132/9 (20 overs) | |||||||
| 2 | Paktia Panthers | 102 (14.5 overs) | |||||||
| 3 | Kabul Zwanan | 192/9 (20 overs) | |||||||
Semifinal 1
Balkh Legends 235/5 (20 overs) | v | Nangarhar Leopards 64 (13.1 overs) |
- Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Semifinal 2
Kabul Zwanan 192/9 (20 overs) | v | Paktia Panthers 102 (14.5 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to bat.
Final
Kabul Zwanan 132/9 (20 overs) | v | Balkh Legends 138/6 (18.1 overs) |
- Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to bat.
Statistics
Most runs
| Player | Team | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Shahzad | Paktia Panthers | 344 |
| Hazratullah Zazai | Kabul Zwanan | 322 |
| Chris Gayle | Balkh Legends | 315 |
| Laurie Evans | Kabul Zwanan | 305 |
| Ryan ten Doeschate | Balkh Legends | 274 |
- Source: Cricinfo[18]
Most wickets
| Player | Team | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Isuru Udana | Paktia Panthers | 17 |
| Sayed Shirzad | Kandahar Knights | 16 |
| Qais Ahmad | Balkh Legends | 15 |
| Mirwais Ashraf | Balkh Legends | 14 |
| Wayne Parnell | Kabul Zwanan | 13 |
- Source: Cricinfo[19]
References
- ^ a b "Afghanistan Premier League slated for October 2018". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Afghanistan Cricket Premier League To Be Played In UAE". Tolo News. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Gulbahar group confirmed as APL title sponsor". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "DSport to live broadcast APL 2018 in India". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ "BCCI unlikely to allow Indian players from participating in newly-launched Afghanistan Premier League". First Post. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Afghans ready with their version of T20 league". Times of India. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Sharjah to host Afghanistan T20 League from October 5". Gulf News. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ "ICC approves plans for Afghanistan Premier League". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ^ "Pak cricketers ask PCB to issue NOC to play in APL". The Nation. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- ^ "Soumya, Mithun denied NOC for APL T20". Dhaka Tribune. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ "BALKH LEGENDS CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF APL T20 2018". Afghanistan Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ "Qais Ahmed, Chris Gayle star as Balkh Legends win inaugural APL". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ "ACB confident of relaunching APL in 2025". cricbuzz. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Gayle, Afridi, Russell: icons in Afghanistan Premier League". ESPN Cricinfo. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "Cricket Records | Afghanistan Premier League | Records | Series results". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Afghanistan Premier League 2018 Points Table". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Schedules & Results". APLT20. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ "RECORDS / AFGHANISTAN PREMIER LEAGUE, 2018/19 / MOST RUNS". Cricinfo. ESPN. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ^ "RECORDS / AFGHANISTAN PREMIER LEAGUE, 2018/19 / MOST WICKETS". Cricinfo. ESPN. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
External links
| National teams |
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| Regional Teams | |||||||||||
| Tournaments |
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| Grounds | |||||||||||
| Players | |||||||||||
| Records | |||||||||||
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