Five teams, 80 Afghan and 20 foreign cricketers will compete in the first ever Afghanistan T20 Premier League in United Arab Emirates in October, the Afghanistan Cricket Board announced.
The board signed a memorandum of understanding with Snixer Sport, the executing partner of the league in Kabul on Thursday.
The teams will play twenty-three Twenty20 cricket matches for three weeks.
“It is indeed a proud moment for Afghanistan Cricket Board and a milestone for Afghan cricket as Afghanistan is now able to have an international league of its own,” Chairman of the cricket board, Atif Mashal, said at the inauguration ceremony.
“Afghanistan (T20) Premier League will provide a valuable opportunity for Afghan players to play alongside major names in international cricket, which will not only enable Afghan players to benefit from the league financially, but it will also add as another revenue generating stream for the cricket board," he added.
Participants of the event termed the league a good opportunity for improvement of Afghan cricket.
“It is indeed a privilege to be a part of a ceremony marking the development of Afghan cricket that has already been an instrumental source of joy and pride for the nation which has suffered from decades of adversities, Nazir Ahmadzai, an MP, said.
“While 2017 was truly a special and historic year for Afghan cricket, we have started 2018 on a high note as we launch the Afghanistan (T20) Premier League – it is a dream come true for us,” CEO of the cricket board Shafiqullah Stanikzai said.
Member of ACB board, Ahmad Shah Sangdil, said Afghan players represent Afghanistan in a way that promotes peace and serves as a source for people all over the world to look at the country from a positive perspective.
At the same event, Ashish Sethi, CEO of Snixer Sports, said: “The inaugural edition of the cricket league will feature five franchises that will play 23 matches over a three-week period. All matches of the league will be played in UAE and televised live on popular TV channels.”