Indian Premier League 2026 to Start April 8 with Afghan Players Participating
The 19th season of the Indian Premier League is scheduled to begin on April 8 and run until May 31, featuring 10 teams. Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter as defending champions after defeating Punjab Kings by six wickets in the 2025 final. The competing teams include Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings.
Four Afghan cricketers will participate. Rashid Khan plays for Gujarat Titans, Noor Ahmad for Chennai Super Kings, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar for Mumbai Indians, and Azmatullah Omarzai for Punjab Kings.
Ariana Television holds exclusive live broadcast rights for the tournament in Afghanistan, with updates available on Ariana News and Ariana Television's social media.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan's national Buzkashi team has traveled to Turkistan, Kazakhstan, for the World Buzkashi Championships from March 15 to 21. The 15-member delegation, comprising 12 players and three officials, was introduced by the National Buzkashi, Javelin, and Traditional Games Federation, according to the General Presidency of Olympics, Physical Education, and Sports. The National Olympic Committee stated that teams from nine countries -- Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Turkey -- will compete. The National Buzkashi Federation noted this marks the event's return after a nine-year hiatus; Afghanistan last participated in Kazakhstan in 2017.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board announced the postponement of the national team's series against Sri Lanka, originally set to start March 13 in the United Arab Emirates, to the last quarter of 2026 due to logistical issues.
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