APL player draft ceremony to be held tomorrow — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The player draft ceremony for the second edition of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL) is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, with around 450 players shortlisted for the event. Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) spokesman Sayed Naseem Sadat said in a Facebook post that the ceremony would begin at 3:00pm local time. He said around 1,500 players, including Afghan cricketers, had registered in different categories for the draft. Following the evaluation and shortlisting process, around 450 players had been selected and would be presented to the participating teams during the ceremony, he added. Five teams will compete in the second edition of the APL, which is scheduled to take place in December 2026. Last week, the captains and head coaches of the five teams were announced. Veteran leg-spinner Rashid Khan will lead Kandahar Warriors, all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai will captain Ekcel United Kabul, Rahmanullah Gurbaz will lead Nangarhar, Rahmat Shah will captain Paktia, and Ibrahim Zadran will lead Balkh.