Afghanistan Premier League to start soon, grand launch set for December 20

The Afghanistan Cricket Board will be launching the Afghanistan Premier League T20 — the newest homegrown T20 league, in a grand event on December 20, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates. The event will see the ACB unveil the proposed window, venues, the structure of the league along with other key details ahead of the opening edition of what promises to be a marquee tournament.

The formal launch on December 20 will also bring together a bunch of important bodies from the cricketing fraternity, as broadcasters, media, commercial partners, invitees, and other stakeholders will be marking their presence. The roadmap for the APLT20 will be laid down, conveying the brand identity and how money will flow in to the tournament through partnership and other mediums.

After the launch, the APLT20 investment rights will be formally granted to the ITW-TG consortium, in an agreement that has already been signed in July this year. Notably, the July signing was to be followed by the launch in August itself, however, the event is taking place as there were technical and administrative challenges that the ACB seems to have sorted now.

All major details will now be formally unveiled at the 20th December launch event. The ceremony will bring together senior leadership from ACB as well as various global cricket stakeholders, media, commercial partners, and invited dignitaries. ACB and its partners will reveal the APL tournament proposed window, venue, league structure, brand identity, commercial roadmap, and additional key components of the inaugural edition.

Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairperson said, “The APL is a strategic pillar of ACB’s long-term vision, and the 20th December launch event marks a major step toward turning that vision into reality. We appreciate the professionalism and dedication of our partners at ITW MEA, TG, and Skywalkers. The league will open new horizons for Afghan cricket, and we look forward to presenting its full framework at the launch.”

Naseeb Khan, CEO of the ACB, remarked, “The progress made since awarding the investment partnership rights has been highly encouraging. The APL will provide a world-class platform for Afghan players and a strong commercial ecosystem for the board. The upcoming launch event will outline the complete roadmap, and we are excited to introduce this next phase to the global cricketing community.”