Gayle, Afridi and McCullum to play in Afghanistan Premier League

Dubai - 23 matches will be played in the first season

Afghanistan, the newest Test-playing country, will start a new chapter in their cricket with the introduction of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL T20) in October this year.
The ambitious IPL-style league will be played from October 5 to October 23 at the historic Sharjah cricket stadium.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board also unveiled the logo of the tournament in a glittering ceremony in Dubai on Monday.
Five teams - Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktia and Balkh - will take part in the inaugural season of the league that has attracted big names like Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Brendon McCullum, Misbah ul Haq, Kumar Sangakkara, Tamim Iqbal and Afghan sensation Rashid Khan.
"The Afghanistan Cricket Board has achieved in its short stint the Full Member status of the ICC (International Cricket Council) and Test status as well. We are delighted that today we the witness the launch of our new league which will provide global fans and audience an opportunity to watch top class T20 cricket," Shafiqullah Stanikzai, CEO of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said in Dubai on Monday.
"And the logo that we have unveiled today symbolizes the spirit of Afghanistan as a country. It represents the nature of the Afghan people who are truly patriotic and who now have fallen in love with cricket.
"We are confident of hosting an amazing event and I am sure it will soon be among the of top three T20 Leagues in the world." 
The first season will see 23 matches and the organisers are expecting big crowds at the iconic Sharjah stadium.
"The rise of Afghanistan cricket has been phenomenal. The national team has performed brilliantly in recent years in international cricket and the cricket board has worked tirelessly to develop the sport in the country," Atif Mashal, chairman of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said on Monday.
"The success of Afghan players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujibur Rahman in various T20 leagues in the world has set a great example for young players in Afghanistan. This has been one of the main motivations for our cricket board to start this new league as we want to give our young players the chance to play with international stars," Mashal added.
Meanwhile, India's vRock Mobile were unveiled as Paktia owner while Legendary Man Entertainment has acquired the right to own Balkh.
"We planned this tournament last year and today we have taken this important step. This league is a new chapter in the history of Afghan cricket that will benefit all major stake holders," Mashal said.
"Players will be able to play competitive cricket and our youngsters will be able to learn from some of the legends of the game. Success has no boundaries and with APL, we are taking our cricket beyond borders.
"And the Sharjah cricket stadium is a big name in the world of cricket. We are grateful to them for allowing us to host the league in Sharjah.
"In fact, Sharjah and the Emirates Cricket Board have always supported Afghan cricket board. Sharjah has been home to Afghan cricket since 2010.
"I would like to thank Mr Abdul Rahman Bukhatir and the Bukhatir family for their support. I would also like to thank ICC for their approval. Their support has been immense and we now look forward to having an amazing league," Mashal added.