Afghanistan Premier League: Top 5 overseas cricketers

Afghanistan's monumental progress in world cricket has been praised by all Test-playing nations and has been used as a source of inspiration by the lower-ranked teams. Keeping true to their nature of showcasing their enormous talent in big tournaments, the Afghan men proved their mettle once again in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2018.

Franchise-based T20 leagues have been used both as a source of revenue and a platform to nurture young talents by various cricket boards like BCCI and PCB. Afghanistan is the newest member in that agglomeration to have a T20 league of their own. The Afghanistan Premier League, which saw its first ball being bowled on 5th October, will be contested between five teams and will feature some renowned overseas cricketers.

Let us have a look at the top 5 overseas cricketers playing in the Afghanistan Premier League.

---

#5 Sandeep Lamichhane

Sandeep Lamichhane was not a household name for Indian cricket fanatics before this year's Indian Premier League, and had it not been for his impressive stint with Delhi Daredevils, his talent would not have been exposed to the amount of people it has been. But the Nepalese leggie only needed one chance to justify his selection and hasn't looked back since.

With many pundits saying that the current cricketing generation belongs to the leg-spinners, Lamichhane can be one of them to etch his name in history. The potential of the 18-year-old is known to all, and a good performance in APL might add to his increasing popularity. He will be playing for Nangarhar Leopards, the side that also features 17-year-old Afghan off-spin sensation Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

#4 Brendon McCullum

'Baz' is looking fitter than ever in the dusk of his career

Though it might be three years since Brendon McCullum was last seen playing a T20 match in a New Zealand shirt, he has certainly not lost a bit of his prowess. Travelling around the world and plying his trades for different T20 teams in different leagues, McCullum is now looking fitter than ever.

With him in the squad, the entertainment quotient is bound to get higher. Besides that, having a legend like him in the squad also provides young Afghan players with a great chance of learning a thing or two and developing their skills. The 37-year-'young' cricketer will play for Kandahar Knights.

#3 Andre Russell

Russell is the quintessential player a T20 team needs

Search for the definition of a perfect T20 player on the internet, and it will show you the picture of this Jamaican superstar. Brilliant with the ball, exceptional with the bat and electrifying in the field, Russell is exactly the type of player a T20 franchise owner would want to break his bank for.

Being a common face in every franchise-based T20 league, Russell has made his way into Afghanistan. He will be seen in Nangarhar Leopards' colours, where he will be united with his countrymen Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles and Anton Devcich.

#2 Chris Gayle

The big man will be seen in action once again

While the Windies cricket team is having a horrendous time in India, their legendary cricketers are preparing to get familiar with the Abu Dhabi soil before hitting the ground running. Joining his Jamaican partner in APL will be the giant, Chris Gayle. He will be seen hitting the white ball all over the park for Balkh Legends.

The team name certainly does justice to his caliber. Though he is a 39-year-old now, his performance for Kings XI Punjab in this year's IPL clearly depicted that he still has plenty to offer to this game. The young Afghan bowlers might have their worst nightmare coming their way.

#1 Shahid Afridi

Cricket and Shahid Afridi will reunite again at Sharjah

Shahid Afridi has played 99 T20Is for Pakistan and 374 T20 matches in total. Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League - he has left his mark in almost every T20 league in the world. Now it is time for the Pakistani legend to set the Afghan Premier League ablaze.

He will play for Paktia Panthers, a side that is coached by another former Pakistani cricketer, Kabir Khan. For a fun fact, Shahid Afridi's ODI debut for Pakistan came just a couple of years after Kabir Khan's debut, which speaks volume about his contribution to Pakistani cricket.