The Afghanistan Premier League held its inaugural player draft on November 3, 2026, at the Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre in the United Arab Emirates, securing contracts for English internationals Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Joe Clarke, Tymal Mills, Olly Stone, Luke Wood, Tom Moores, and Chris Wood. However, the tournament remains without official sanction from the International Cricket Council. The governing body’s approval process continues to review minimum requirements such as anti-corruption and anti-doping measures alongside due diligence on franchise owners. Pressbee notes that ownership has been confirmed for only three of the five franchises, with Team Paktia and Team Balkh assigned temporary names during the draft. The tournament is scheduled to begin in the United Arab Emirates on December 27.
Players Withdraw from Draft Amid Criticism
Ahead of the draft, Ollie Pope, Will Smeed, and David Willey withdrew their names following criticism of their possible involvement. Meanwhile, Dawid Malan maintained his availability for the draft, telling the Test Match Special podcast that he must earn a living while he can and relies on guidance from the boards and the International Cricket Council.
Official Questions Financial Backing of Competition
Speaking to The Cricketer magazine, Richard Gould raised questions regarding the financial backing behind the proposed competition. Gould pointed out that the Afghanistan Cricket Board depends heavily on external support.
“Afghanistan relies largely on ICC funding,” Gould said. I think they take about $14 million a year from the ICC. It constitutes probably over 80% of their income. We know that they don’t have a domestic TV market. They don’t have the ability to sell tickets.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has refused bilateral fixtures against Afghanistan due to the Taliban government’s restrictions on women and girls. ECB chair Richard Thompson labeled the situation gender apartheid
last year, aligning with terminology used by United Nations experts and Amnesty International. Richard Thompson previously noted that the board would have to think very carefully before granting NOCs to English players to play in the APL, while Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket, emphasized individual responsibility.
“Legally it is hard to stop players going over and playing in these competitions,” Key told the Test Match Special podcast. It becomes a moral judgement and players have to be prepared to take the right moral stance.
The ECB will raise concerns over the funding of the planned Afghanistan Premier League at upcoming ICC meetings. Chief executive Richard Gould says that it "doesn't seem right" that the ACB should fund the league while other members were paying for the Afghan refugee women team pic.twitter.com/qX4KEzEVgs
— https://x.com/cricinfo/status/2118686372718616725
Board Plans to Issue Player Clearances
Despite these moral objections, the England and Wales Cricket Board intends to issue No-Objection Certificates to the eight English players who have signed contracts. Because none of the athletes hold central contracts with the board, withholding clearance could expose the governing body to legal challenges under UK restraint-of-trade regulations. Gould described the Afghanistan Cricket Board holding its player draft prior to obtaining formal sanction as placing the England and Wales Cricket Board in a difficult position
.
The International Cricket Council declined to comment on the matter, maintaining that its revenue distribution model approved in 2023 operates independently from franchise tournament sanctioning. Meanwhile, the captain of Afghanistan’s refugee women’s team urged overseas players to reconsider their participation in the tournament, expressing that foreign players had a real opportunity to stand with millions of Afghan women and girls by choosing not to participate.