Afghanistan Premier League: Teams, squads, match timings - all you need to know

Here's everything you should know about the star-studded Afghanistan premier League

The much-awaited Afghanistan Premier League (APL) will kick-start from October 5 and will feature legendary names from world cricket for the five franchises.

Here're the five teams participating in the inaugural season of the APL:

• Paktia Panthers
• Kabul Zwanan
• Balkh Legends
• Nangarhar Leopards
• Kandahar Knights

Here are logos of the five participating teams in Afghanistan Premier League 2018.#APLT20 #WeyarDaAfghanano #AfghanCricket pic.twitter.com/r0jwWXoPUB

— Afghanistan Premier League (@APLT20official) October 1, 2018

Nangarhar Leopards: Considered the most balanced side among the five teams, it is decorated with big names from the world of cricket playing for them, will be coached by former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad. The team will be led by the Jamaican Andre Russell and comprises of world-class bowlers like Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan and Imran Janat, who will lead the bowling department. The batting side will be spearheaded by the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Andre Russell, Mohammad Hafeez, who will be on the lookout for big scores in the first season.

Having seasoned overseas all-rounders @Russell12A & @Cuttsy31 as well as high quality spinners @Mujeeb_R88 and Zahir Khan in their ranks, @Team_Nangarhar will be a force to reckon with in @APLT20official .
Here is their full squad
- - - #APLT20 #WeyarDaAfghanano pic.twitter.com/zQPLqNZSvO

— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 3, 2018

Paktia Panthers: This team will be led by former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, whose role will be to bring stability in the middle order batting line up and get the necessary wickets in tough situations. Cameron Delport, Chris Jordan and Luke Wright have come on board to strengthen the lineups both in the batting as well as the bowling department.

Here is the final squad of Paktia Panthers for Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League 2018. @MShahzad077 will lead the side.#APL20 #WeyarDaAfghanano pic.twitter.com/IhwMjER1Cr

— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 3, 2018

Kabul Zwanan: The side will be captained by the sensational right-arm leg break bowler Rashid Khan. He had a brilliant season representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with 21 wickets and would want to continue doing the same in this year's APL edition. The team also has some remarkable players like Luke Ronchi and Wayne Parnell who will add balance to the lineups.

Here is the final squad of Kabul Zwanan for Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League 2018. They will be led by spin wizard @rashidkhan_19.#APL20 #WeyarDaAfghanano pic.twitter.com/UdcMNgP3pi

— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 3, 2018

Balkh Legends: Former Afghani skipper Mohammad Nabi will lead the team from the front. The team will depend a lot on Chris Gayle's batting who will provide a fiery start to set huge targets in key competitive matches. The bowling department will be lead by Mohamad Nawaz and Ben Laughlin. The legends constitute young talented players like Darwish Rasooli, Ikrain Alikhil who will be great assets to team.

Guided by the experience of @MohammadNabi007 and power-hitting by @henrygayle , Balkh Legends will be a competitive side in the inaugural edition of @APLT20official.
Here is their full squad for the tournament. #APLT20 #WeyarDaAfghanano pic.twitter.com/MUbtoPEz5S

— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 3, 2018

Kandahar Knights: Former New Zealand wicketkeeper batsmen Brendon Mccullum has been appointed as the skipper of this side which will consist of emerging players like Abdul Baqi, Waqar Salamkhel and Wahidullah Shafaq who will be the key players to watch out for.

Led by Asghar Afghan, @KandaharKnights will start their APL campaign against @Team_Nangarhar on sixth of this month. Here is their full squad. #APLT20 #WeyarDaAfghanano pic.twitter.com/J8hl5qnucI

— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 3, 2018

Where to watch the live telecast of the inaugural edition of the Afghanistan Premier League?

All the matches of the APL 2018 will be telecast Discovery Communications India's sports channel DSPORT.