The Afghanistan Cricket Board on Monday announced the squads for five regional teams competing in the third edition of the e& National T20 Cup 2026, a key domestic tournament set to begin on May 2 in Kunduz province.
In a statement, the board said its national selection committee had finalized lineups for the Amo, Mis-e Ainak, Speenghar, Band-e Amir and Boost regions, underscoring efforts to strengthen Afghanistan’s domestic cricket system.
The Amo side will be captained by Imran Mir and includes players such as Javid Ahmadzai, Mohammad Akram, Ali Ahmad Nasar and Tariq Stanikzai. Mohammad Riaz, Rahat Andar, Sabir Bahrami and Azim Zadran are also in the squad.
Mis-e Ainak will be led by Ijaz Ahmadzai, with Ziauddin Sharifi, Khalid Taniwal, Asghar Atal and Emal Shaheen among those selected. The team also includes Mohammad Younus, Abdullah Mohammadi and Wahid Zadran.
Zubaid Akbari will captain Speenghar, whose squad features Wafiullah Tarakhil, Imran Mazari, Mohammad Idris and Shawkat Zaman, along with Akbar Musazai and Rohullah Arab.
Band-e Amir will be led by Hazratullah Zazai, a prominent limited-overs player. His team includes Haroon Khan, Usman Khan, Sadiq Pacha, Sohail Khan, Naveed Izhar and Rahmatullah Kharoti.
The Boost region will be captained by Najibullah Zadran. Its squad includes Faisal Khan, Saif Nangyal, Mohibullah Hamraz and Javeed Sulaimankhil, as well as Nasrat Nooristani and Abdullah Tarakhil.
Designated wicketkeepers across the teams include Rahat Andar for Amo; Mahboob Taskin and Rahman Rehanoo for Mis-e Ainak; Mohammad Ishaq and Mobin Khan for Speenghar; Khalid Ahmadzai and Abdul Hadi for Band-e Amir; and Numan Shah and Sabir Hanif for Boost.
The e& National T20 Cup, sponsored by SuperCola, is one of Afghanistan’s premier domestic competitions and serves as a platform for emerging players to compete alongside established cricketers. Organizers say the tournament plays a central role in identifying talent for the national team.
Cricket remains the country’s most popular sport, and domestic tournaments have taken on added importance as Afghanistan seeks to deepen its player pool and maintain its competitiveness in international formats.
