Afghanistan Premier League: Captains, Coaches Nominated for APL T20 Draft as Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran Headline List

The Afghanistan Premier League (APL T20) is set to take its next step towards the upcoming season, with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) preparing to conduct a Captains and Coaches Draft for its five franchises in the United Arab Emirates on October 24.

The draft will determine the leadership and coaching structure of all five teams, with franchises selecting their captains, head coaches and mentors. The ACB will separately appoint assistant coaches and other members of the coaching staff.

Afghanistan's leading international cricketers, including T20I captain Ibrahim Zadran and star leg-spinner Rashid Khan, feature among the shortlisted candidates for captaincy.

APL T20 Coach and Captain Draft: Full List of Personnel

The ACB has shortlisted five Afghan cricketers for the captaincy positions across the participating franchises. The list includes Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan's current T20I captain, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah Zurmati, who captains the national team in two formats.

Each franchise will select its captain from this group during Sunday's ceremony. The appointments are expected to shape the teams' preparations for the players' draft, as the franchises work towards assembling competitive squads for the tournament.

Five candidates have also been identified for the head coach positions. The list features Afghanistan batting coach Toby Radford, assistant coach Shane McDermott, former England international Ravi Bopara, experienced South African coach Mickey Arthur and former Pakistan cricketer and coach Azhar Mahmood.

The franchises will choose their respective head coaches from these candidates, while mentors will also be selected during the ceremony.

ACB to Appoint Afghan Assistant Coaches Ahead of November 3 Draft

The ACB will appoint five Afghan coaches as assistant coaches for the franchises. The shortlisted names are Afghanistan bowling coach Hamid Hassan, Afghanistan A head coach Nawroz Mangal, Afghanistan Under-19 head coach Raees Khan Ahmadzai, Under-19 batting coach Noor Ali Zadran and former Afghanistan fast bowler Dawlat Khan Ahmadzai, who currently heads the High Performance Center.

Following the Captains and Coaches Draft, the franchises will consult their newly appointed captains and coaches to identify squad requirements and formulate recruitment strategies.

The ACB and its partner company have also completed preparations for the APL Players Draft, scheduled for November 3 in the United Arab Emirates.