NEW DELHI: Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has confirmed that the inaugural five-team Afghanistan Premier League (APL) Twenty20 cricket tournament would be played in the United Arab Emirates in October.
The commercial rights for the APL are with New Delhi-based Snixer Sports, which has secured six-year rights for the league from the ACB through its subsidiary Snixer Sports Events Marketing, which is headquartered in the UAE.
Queried on the financial outlay for the inaugural edition of the league, Snixer Sports CEO Aashish Sethi told SportzPower that it would total around $7 million.
Asked for details on the owners of five franchises that would be part of the league, Sethi said discussions were ongoing and that besides Afghanistan, expressions of interest had come in from entities in Bangladesh and India as well. He added that the owners would be decided through a franchise auction.
ACB chairman Shukrullah Atif Mashal said more than 40 foreign cricketers had expressed interest in playing in the APL.
“Their presence will raise the quality of the league from the Shpageeza Cricket League that we organize at home. We are thankful to the overseas cricketers for helping Afghanistan cricket rise to the next level,” he said.
The ACB has also approached the BCCI to allow Indian players to participate as well. A non-starter if past history on the Indian board’s stance regarding allowing its players to participate in T20 leagues overseas is concerned.
Mashal further said: “We are grateful to our government for its support and encouragement. We believe we can provide our youth the platform to shine and move away from negative influences.”
The CEO of the ACB, Shafiqullah Asamat Stanikzai, opines that cricket is not just a sport in Afghanistan.
“It has been a unifying tool, contributing to peace, development and stability in the country. It will open the doors for youngsters inside the country and around the globe. The board aims to make APL T20 to be among the world’s top three leagues.”
Stanikzai also thanked the Emirates Cricket Board for their support.
“We have the official approval of the ECB for the Afghan Premier League. Without such support, it would not be possible for the League to take off,” he added. “We are also glad that Snixer Sports will underwrite the tournament.”
Sethi said his organisation looked forward to presenting a world class event. “The Afghanistan Cricket Board and Snixer Sports Events Marketing have engaged TCM Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. as the exclusive agency for the execution and operations of APL T20,” he said. “We are sure that all stakeholders will enjoy the Afghan Premier League experience.”
Managing director of TCM Sports Management Lokesh Sharma said: “Afghanistan has emerged as the most exciting team on the cricket horizon. They have humbled previous World Cup winners like West Indies recently. Their juniors were semifinalists at the World Cup and promise to rewrite the global cricket hierarchy. Association with Afghanistan cricket is a matter of great pride for us.”
