Afghanistan Premier League Names Mentors and Captains Ahead of Dubai Draft

The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed on November 2 the leadership groups for all five franchises ahead of the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League, which is scheduled to begin on December 27. The announcement brings together some of the most recognisable names in recent international cricket, with Irfan Pathan, Mark Boucher, Waqar Younis, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Azhar Mahmood appointed as mentors across the five teams. The captains are equally high-profile: Rashid Khan will lead the Kandahar Warriors, with Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran heading the other four sides. At Kandahar, former England all-rounder Ravi Bopara will serve as head coach, with Pathan as mentor. A leaders' draft held during the week of October 25 allowed head coaches to finalise their captains across two rounds, with former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof also involved in the process. Attention now turns to the players' draft in Dubai on November 3, where the franchises will build out their full squads for a tournament that represents a major step for Afghan domestic cricket and for a player pool that has become one of the most followed in the world game.