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The Afghanistan Premier League T20 (APL T20) is all set to mark its footprint in the global T20 franchise league scenario with three teams. The league has completed the selling process of its three franchises. The first season of the Afghanistan Premier League T20 will start on December 20.
Ahead of the season opener, the league has unveiled the names and identities of its teams and the trophy. Axcel United Kabul, Balkh Zwanan and Kandahar Warriors are the three teams that will be in action from December, and the name of the trophy is 'Koh-E-Zafar'.
The APL T20 trophy describes Afghanistan itself
The ceremony to introduce the teams and the trophy was held in Dubai in the presence of the franchise owners, league partners and Afghanistan Cricket Board officials.
The decoration and design of the trophy caught everyone's eye during the event as it depicts the nation's geographical environment. The engraved mountains on the surface of the trophy symbolize the nation's strength, resilience and the pinnacle of achievement in cricket.
"Koh-E-Zafar, crowned by the peaks, inspired by the homeland, and forged in heritage. With its golden craftsmanship, blue details representing the colours of Afghanistan," the APL T20 described the details of the trophy.
"Embodying the towering strength of the mountains, this is the ultimate reward for the champions who summit the hardest challenges and claim greatness," it is also mentioned.
ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said at the launch that the T20 league will reflect the board's vision to build a cricket culture which will help the upcoming talents to grow.
"Today is a landmark occasion for Afghan cricket. The unveiling of our inaugural franchises and the Koh-E-Zafar trophy reflects our shared vision of building a league that inspires future generations," Ashraf stated.
ACB will have to arrange the players' auction ahead of the Afghanistan Premier League inaugural season
Ahead of the tournament's first match, the organisers will have to arrange the players' auction. The Afghanistan Premier League T20 player registration portal for the inaugural draft will open on August 30, and the draft will take place the next month, on September 27.
It will be interesting to see which global stars show their interest in the newly founded APL T20 league. Alongside hosting the entire players' drafting process, the organisers will have to announce the fixtures of the tournament. The ACB said the rest of the details of the tournament schedule and venues would be announced after the remaining franchise selection process is completed.
Why did ACB discontinue the original Afghanistan Premier League?
Afghanistan Premier League was the nation's first-ever franchise-based T20 tournament, which was started in 2018 but discontinued soon due to financial reasons. Ahead of its second season, it was announced that due to financial reasons, the league was postponed.
"The failure by Snixer Sports to pay the complete rights fees of the first edition as per the fees and payment schedule of the agreement, and concerns about risks for integrity of the league posed by people connected to Snixer Sports are the reasons for termination that form material breaches of the agreement," ACB clarified in the previous statement why the forced postponded the league only after one season.
