The 2018 Afghanistan Premier League (also known as APL 2018 or Gulbahar APL T20 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was the inaugural and only edition of the Afghanistan Premier League, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB). The tournament took place from 5 to 21 October 2018 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
Balkh Legends defeated Kabul Zwanan by 4 wickets in the final to become the inaugural champions. Rashid Khan was named the Player of the Tournament.
The tournament was established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2018. In August 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved plans for the tournament. Due to security concerns in Afghanistan, the ACB decided to host the inaugural edition in the United Arab Emirates. The Sharjah Cricket Stadium was selected as the sole venue for the matches.
The Gulbahar Group was confirmed as the title sponsor, leading the league to be officially named the Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League.
The 2018 season was investigated by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Afghan player Shafiqullah Shafaq was subsequently handed a six-year ban after admitting to match-fixing charges during the 2018 APL. Additionally, icon player Mohammad Shahzad reported a spot-fixing approach to the ACU during the tournament's league phase.
The player draft for the inaugural season was held on 10 September 2018 in Dubai. Over 350 players from across the globe were included in the draft pool.
The franchises operated with a salary cap between US$555,000 and US$700,000 to secure a squad of 17 to 20 players. Players were categorized into five tiers: Icon, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Emerging.
Five "Icon Players" were selected by the franchises during the draft:
The league involved up to forty overseas players, though several boards denied permissions. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced it would not issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to active Pakistani players for the tournament. Similarly, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) denied NOCs to players like Soumya Sarkar, preventing them from joining their respective franchises.
The following squads were finalized for the tournament.
All matches were held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
The fixture was released in September 2018.
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The inaugural edition was broadcast live on the following channels and platforms: