ICC gives go-ahead to Afghanistan Premier League

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially approved the conduct of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL). The new T20 tournament has received the go-ahead from the game's governing body following a formal application sent by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) last month.

In its official website, ACB affirmed the development by stating, "The correspondence received from ICC confirms the approval of the league by cricket’s global governing body. This would enable member boards to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to players associated with the respective boards who may be included in the five different participating teams."

Earlier this year, the ACB unveiled plans for a franchise-based T20 tournament of their own. The inaugural edition of the APL is likely to take place in October. A total of 23 matches will be played by the five competing teams. All games will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) had already sanctioned the hosting of the league. Interestingly, the 2018/19 cricket season will also see them conduct their own white-ball competition. Having also received official approval from the ICC, the second edition of the T10 league is set to take place from November 23 at Sharjah.

The first season of the Afghanistan Premier League is slated to occur at the grand old Sharjah Cricket Stadium between 5th and 21st October. The five competing teams are Kabul, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Balkh and Paktia.

According to ACB, the bidding process for the five franchises is currently in progress. The ownership for the teams is likely to be finalized within the next couple of weeks.

Despite the launch of the APL, Afghanistan's Shpageeza Cricket League will also continue to exist. While the former is expected to proceed in the UAE for the time being, the latter will be played in Afghanistan.

The organizers of the APL are hopeful of attracting a formidable contingent of overseas players. As many as 40 foreign cricketers are understood to have expressed interest in participating in the inaugural season.

Australia are set to tour UAE for two Tests, five ODIs and a solitary T20I against Pakistan in October. Considering that the staging of the APL is expected to take up the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will have to remain content with the two other venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.