Tournament format(s)Double round-robin and Playoffs
HostUnited Arab Emirates
ChampionsBalkh Legends (1st title)
Runners-upKabul Zwanan
Participants5
Matches23
Player of the seriesRashid Khan (Kabul Zwanan)
Most runsMohammad Shahzad (344)
Most wicketsIsuru Udana (17)
The 2018 Afghanistan Premier League (also known as APL 2018 or Gulbahar APL T20 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was the inaugural and only edition of the Afghanistan Premier League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). The tournament took place from 5 to 21 October 2018 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
2018 Afghanistan Premier League is located in Emirate of Sharjah
Background
The tournament was established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2018. In August 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved plans for the tournament. Due to security concerns in Afghanistan, the ACB decided to host the inaugural edition in the United Arab Emirates. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium was selected as the sole venue for the matches.
The Gulbahar Group was confirmed as the title sponsor, leading the league to be officially named the Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League.
Auctions and personnel signings
The player draft for the inaugural season was held on 10 September 2018 in Dubai. Over 350 players from across the globe were included in the draft pool.
The franchises operated with a salary cap between US$555,000 and US$700,000 to secure a squad of 17 to 20 players. Players were categorized into five tiers: Icon, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Emerging.
Five "Icon Players" were selected by the franchises during the draft:
Balkh Legends: Chris Gayle , Kabul Zwanan: Rashid Khan , Kandahar Knights: Brendon McCullum , Nangarhar Leopards: Andre Russell , Paktia Panthers: Shahid Afridi
Player participation
The league involved up to forty overseas players, though several boards denied permissions. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced it would not issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to active Pakistani players for the tournament. Similarly, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) denied NOCs to players like Soumya Sarkar, preventing them from joining their respective franchises.
Squads
The following squads were finalized on 10th September 2018.
Venue
All matches were held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
Sharjah, UAE
Sharjah Cricket Stadium Cricket Venue of APL in Emirate of Sharjah
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Capacity: 16,000
Matches: 19
League stage
The fixture was released in September 2018.
Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field. , Zahir Shehzad (Kabul Zwanan) made his T20 debut.
Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to bat. , Waqar Salamkheil (Kandahar Knights) made his T20 debut. , Ben Cutting (Nangarhar Leopards) took a hat-trick.
Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to field.
Paktia Panthers won the toss and elected to bat. , Azmatullah Omarzai (Paktia Panthers) made his T20 debut.
Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to field.
Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to field. , Ziaur Rahman (Paktia Panthers) made his T20 debut.
Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to field.
Nangarhar Leopards won the toss and elected to field.
Paktia Panthers won the toss and elected to bat.
Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Kandahar Knights won the toss and elected to bat.
Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Nangarhar Leopards won the toss and elected to bat.
Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to field.
Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to bat.
Paktia Panthers won the toss and elected to bat.
Balkh Legends won the toss and elected to field. , Samiullah (Balkh Legends) made his T20 debut.
Kabul Zwanan won the toss and elected to bat. , Usman Adil (Kabul Zwanan) made his T20 debut.
Kabul Zwanan won by 3 wickets Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Izatullah Safi (Afg) and Bismillah Jan Shinwari (Afg) Player of the match: Laurie Evans (Kabul Zwanan)
Match 2 6 October 2018 16:00 (D/N) Scorecard
Kandahar Knights139/9 (20 overs)
v
Nangarhar Leopards142/4 (18.3 overs)
Karim Janat 39 (39) Ben Cutting 5/28 (4 overs)
Shafiqullah 35* (20) Karim Sadiq 1/5 (1 over)
Nangarhar Leopards won by 6 wickets Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Farooq Khan (Afg) and Ahmed Shah Pakteen (Afg) Player of the match: Ben Cutting (Nangarhar Leopards)
Match 3 6 October 2018 20:00 (D/N) Scorecard
Kabul Zwanan176/6 (20 overs)
v
Balkh Legends177/2 (18.5 overs)
Laurie Evans 64 (47) Mohammad Nabi 2/20 (4 overs)
Ryan ten Doeschate 78* (46) Rashid Khan 1/24 (4 overs)
Balkh Legends won by 8 wickets Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Izatullah Safi (Afg) and Bismillah Jan Shinwari (Afg) Player of the match: Ryan ten Doeschate (Balkh Legends)
Match 4 7 October 2018 16:00 (D/N) Scorecard
Paktia Panthers184/8 (20 overs)
v
Nangarhar Leopards163/6 (20 overs)
Mohammad Shahzad 53 (21) Ben Cutting 3/25 (4 overs)
Ben Cutting 71 (39) Isuru Udana 2/28 (4 overs)
Paktia Panthers won by 21 runs Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Farooq Khan (Afg) and Bismillah Jan Shinwari (Afg) Player of the match: Ben Cutting (Nangarhar Leopards)
Balkh Legends won by 13 runs Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Ahmed Shah Pakteen (Afg) and Izatullah Safi (Afg) Player of the match: Gulbadin Naib (Balkh Legends)
Kabul Zwanan won by 7 wickets Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Anil Chaudhary (Ind) and Ahmed Shah Pakteen (Afg) Player of the match: Hazratullah Zazai (Kabul Zwanan)
Paktia Panthers won by 37 runs Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Umpires: Anil Chaudhary (Ind) and Bismillah Jan Shinwari (Afg) Player of the match: Cameron Delport (Paktia Panthers)
The inaugural edition was broadcast live on the following channels and platforms:
Controversy and Anti-Corruption
The 2018 season was investigated by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Afghan player Shafiqullah Shafaq was subsequently handed a six-year ban after admitting to match-fixing charges during the 2018 APL. Additionally, icon player Mohammad Shahzad reported a spot-fixing approach to the ACU during the tournament's league phase.
