Afghanistan Cricket Board to launch a T20 league of its own

Taking a cue from the various leagues happening all around the world, Afghanistan is set to launch a T20 league of its own. Named the Shpageeza Cricket League, the tournament will see six franchises participating in a period of 10 days from July 18-28 in Kabul. The team auctions have already taken place on May 14 with all franchises bought by noted industrial groups of Afghanistan.

Two games will be played out every day, both day fixtures, at the International Stadium in Kabul. One TV, a local channel of Afghanistan, will telecast all games live during the 10-day tournament. Though the Afghanistan National Team has their home ground at Greater Noida in India, the games will be played in Kabul with an eye on popularising the game in the country.

“The aim is to popularise the game in Afghanistan and also to make people realise that it is very safe for the international teams,” Shafiq Stanikzai the CEO of ACB told Sportstar.

This time it’s bigger and better

A similar league, on a very low level, was organised last year but not many international stars participated in the league. This time ACB has decided to rope in big international stars and are confident of huge success. “This time it is bigger and better,” said Stanikzai remarking that they will host a bigger tournament named as Afghanistan Premier (APL) League next year. “We are weighing the opportunities, and this experience will help us put up a better show in the APL next year,” Stanikzai said.

Nine players from Bangladesh including veteran opener Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and rookie Mehdi Hasan have already given their names for the player’s auction scheduled to be held on May 25 at a hotel in Kabul.

Rudradeep Banerjee, who is managing players from Bangladesh in this league, confirmed the participation of his country’s stars in this 10-day event but remarked that the security standards have to be up to the mark. “Once the auction gets over, the ACB will have to ensure that the players are given proper security. Only after that, the Boards will give the final go-ahead,” said Banerjee.

Pakistan stars to participate

A few Pakistan stars: Babar Azam, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanveer and Saeed Ajmal are put on the auction list. “We have already received good response from the cricketers. This is the first time that so many international cricketers will be playing in this franchise-based league,” said Stanikzai.

Discarded Pakistan batsman Salman Butt confirmed the development and mentioned that he has already taken part in a similar league last year. “(I will play) if all goes well, Insha Allah. I already played in the league in Kabul last year,” Butt told Sportstar today.

Afghanistan are preparing for this high-profile tournament and the ACB has already got permission from the cricket boards of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, UAE, Canada and West Indies. With players from so many countries participating in this league, the war-stricken Afghanistan can hope for a highly successful cricket tournament in July.

Security of the cricketers still remains a concern but Stanikzai remained confident of providing the best security for the tournament. “Security will be beefed up weeks before the tournament begins. I can assure you that there is no concern over security in Kabul. Players will be given full protection,” he said.