Afghan Premier League (APL):
The second season of the Afghan Premier League (APL) was scheduled for October this year. The Afghan Premier League was postponed to 2020 after the League’s commercial partner failed to pay the rights money to the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB). The Afghan Cricket board then terminated the agreement also citing concerns about the integrity of the people associated with Snixer Sports, the partners.
The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) explained in their statement that the Snixer Sports failed to pay the complete rights fee of the first edition as per the fees and payment schedule of the agreement, they also conveyed that concerns about the risks of integrity of league posed by people associated with Snixer Sports are one of the reasons for the termination.
Afghan Premier League on the close watch:
After the first season of the Afghan Premier League, the allegations around the integrity of the people involved is especially relevant. The International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-corruption unit (ACU) was keeping a close watch on the Afghan Premier League and Mohammad Shahzad, the Afghan wicketkeeper-batsman reported an approach. It is understood that there were a number of more approaches that were reported by players to the Anti-corruption body.
The Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) has written to the Attorney General’s Office of the Government of Afghanistan to fully investigate the administrative allegations of corruption in the Afghan Premier League and that they should remain committed to ensure transparency in all its affairs and that they are accountable to all stakeholders.
The First Edition of the Afghan Premier League:
The first edition of the Afghan Premier League was held between October 5 and 21 in Sharjah, UAE. The tournament featured a lot of big names. Chris Gayle, Andre Russel, Shahid Afridi, Brendon McCullum, and Rashid Khan were selected as icon players by the five franchises representing Paktia, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Balkh and Kabul.
