Kabul – October 23, 2026: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), in collaboration with its partner company for the Afghanistan Premier League (APLT20), will hold the Captains and Coaches Draft for the league's five participating franchises on Sunday, October 24, in the United Arab Emirates.
During the draft ceremony, each franchise will select its
captain, head coach, and mentor. The ACB will appoint the assistant coaches and
other coaching staff for the five franchises.
The candidates shortlisted for captaincy positions include
Afghanistan’s T20I captain, Ibrahim Zadran, as well as prominent national
players Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Rahmat Shah
Zurmati, who is Afghanistan’s Captain in two formats. The franchises will select their
respective captains from this group during the draft ceremony.
Similarly, five candidates have been shortlisted for the head
coach positions. This group includes Afghanistan's current batting coach Toby
Radford, assistant coach Shane McDermott, former England cricketer Ravi Bopara,
renowned South African coach Mickey Arthur, and British Citizen and former
Pakistan cricketer and coach Azhar Mahmood. Franchises will select their head
coaches from among these candidates.
Additionally, the ACB will appoint five Afghan coaches as
assistant coaches for the participating franchises. The shortlisted coaches are
Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan Bowling Coach), Nawroz Mangal (Afghanistan A Team
Head Coach), Raees Khan Ahmadzai (Afghanistan U19 Team Head Coach), Noor Ali
Zadran (Afghanistan U19 Team Batting Coach), and Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai (former
Afghanistan fast bowler and current Head of the High Performance Center).
After the Captains and Coaches Draft on October 24, the
franchises will have the opportunity to prepare for the Players Draft in
consultation with their selected captains and coaches. This process will help
them identify their squad requirements and develop strategies to build competitive
teams for the upcoming Players Draft.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board and its partner company have
also finalized preparations for the APL Players Draft, which is scheduled for
November 3 in the United Arab Emirates.