The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) made an announcement on January 14 regarding a new rule about player participation in global T20 leagues, which could have a substantial effect on IPL franchises.
ACB Limits Players to Three Overseas Leagues
The board has decided that Afghanistan players can participate in three international T20 leagues plus the Afghanistan Premier League, which is the board’s own upcoming five-team franchise T20 league tentatively scheduled to commence in the UAE around October 2026.
“In the meeting, the board decided to adopt a new regulations for foreign leagues. This new policy gives players permission to play in one domestic and three international leagues. This regulation is aimed at workload management and attaining fitness the national team is expecting,” said ACB in a report that also features announcements made during the Annual General Meeting.
Afghanistan Stars and IPL Franchises could get affected by new rule
The new rule might touch upon franchise players worldwide such as pastoral guardian Noah Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz who are full-time freelancers in all major leagues. Besides that, it’s Indian franchises that are going to face the heaviest impact in terms of financial loss due to their ownership of sister teams in other leagues.
Rashid Khan, the most prolific wicket-taker across formats in T20 cricket, is now leading MI Cape Town in the SA20. Besides his role in the Mumbai Indians’s franchises which include MI Emirates in the ILT20 and MI New York in the MLC, he is also a major player for Gujarat Titans in IPL.
In the IPL, Noor Ahmad plays for the Chennai Super Kings. He is also a player for the Lucknow Super Giants’ sister franchise, Durban Super Giants in the SA20, Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred, and CSK’s Joburg Super Kings in the MLC.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman was not sold at the auction, but he is still connected with the Rajasthan Royals network by playing for Paarl Royals in the SA20 and for Barbados Royals in the CPL.
AM Ghazanfar, who is on the Mumbai Indians roster in the Indian Premier League, also plays for MI Emirates in the ILT20.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz did not find a buyer at the auction but is playing for Pretoria Capitals, the franchise associated with Delhi Capitals in the SA20.
These players will be allowed to participate in three leagues but the Indian Premier League will be their first priority. The new limit may however lead to them skipping other tournaments. This could complicate the plans of IPL teams and their sister teams in other leagues.
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