Kabul, December 29, 2025: The 17th edition of the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Provincial Grade I Tournament, the second domestic cricket event of the new season, will kick off on January 5. The event features 12 provincial teams that are divided into 2 groups and will be played across two venues in Khost and Nangarhar provinces.
The tournament will be played in a one-day format
with a total of 33 games spread out over 22 days until January 26. The 12
competing teams will be divided into 2 groups of 6 teams each, with each team
playing the other teams in their group once. Two teams with the most points in
each group will advance to the Semi-Finals of the event.
Eight teams – Kabul A, Khost, Khost B (Mis-e-Ainak Region Combined Team), Nangarhar,
Nangarhar B (Speenghar Region Combined Team), Logar, Paktika and Kandahar A (Bost Region Combined Team) – qualified for the event
by topping their groups in the recently held WAK Provincial Grade II Tournament
in November-December 2025.
In addition, the teams "ACB XI," "ACB
XI – 2," "Chairman XI," and "Chairman XI – 2" are also
part of the event. This ensures that deserving players from Grade II have the
opportunity to showcase their talents at the Grade I level. Furthermore, the
domestic selection committee has selected some of the domestic contracted players,
alongside top-performing List A and First Class cricketers, to play alongside
the younger players from the Grade II tournament. These experienced players
will share their valuable insights and help the emerging cricketers to enhance
their skills.
Group A features Nangarhar, Logar, Kabul A, Khost B,
Chairman XI and Domestic 2, which will compete at the Najibullah Taraki Cricket
Ground in Nangarhar province. Group B comprises Khost, Paktika, Kandahar A,
Nangarhar B, ACB Xi and Domestic 1 teams, playing at the Rahmat Wali Masroor
Cricket Ground in Khost province.
Nazeem Jaar Abdulrahimzai, the Manager of Domestic Cricket at the
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), expressed his satisfaction with the promising
buildup to a busy and action-packed season ahead. He noted that a major 50-over
event is on the way, featuring many of the leading domestic cricketers. He
stated, "The Grade II tournament was successful in developing high-quality
cricket and producing talented players. This year's Grade I event will feature
more List A and First-Class cricketers than ever before, which will add further
value to the tournament. We are committed to the development of domestic
cricket, as it serves as an important foundation for national-level
cricket."
The Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Provincial Grade I event is the second of
several domestic events scheduled for the new season, which will be followed by
numerous white and red-ball competitions.