Dubai: The Afghanistan Premier League, announced in December 2025 by the Afghanistan Cricket Board as its new, franchise-based T20 league, has taken a step forward by unveiling the identity of three participating franchises - Axcel United Kabul, Balkh Zwanan and Kandahar Warriors - as well as the "Koh-E-Zafar" [meaning Mountain of Victory] trophy the teams would be playing for.

The tournament, the ACB said, would be played from December 27 this year. The rest of the schedule is expected later. Though there is no official update on the venues, it had earlier been stated that the inaugural season would not be played in Afghanistan but in the UAE. The unveiling ceremony on Tuesday was also held in Dubai.

The next step is the player registration process. The portal for the Draft will open to players on August 30 and the Draft itself will be held on September 27.

The original statement had said it would be a five-team tournament, with teams also representing Paktia and Nangarhar. Cricinfo understands the ACB is still in talks to confirm the two remaining teams.

"Today is a landmark occasion for Afghan cricket. The unveiling of our inaugural franchises and the Koh-E-Zafar trophy reflects our shared vision of building a league that inspires future generations," ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said in a statement. "Naming this trophy Koh-E-Zafar was deliberate. A mountain of victory is not climbed in one season - it is built over years, by players who come after us. Today we unveil the franchises that will carry that responsibility, and a competition structure that gives every young cricketer in this country a visible path from the district ground to the international stage."

The ACB had launched an Afghanistan Premier League in early 2018 as well, But only one season of that league was played between five teams. High-profile names such as Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Shahid Afridi were part of the action, but it was discontinued following payment issues and concerns around the league's integrity started emerging.

"This is a city that has produced some of the finest cricketers Afghanistan has given the world, and our job is to build a franchise those players and this city recognise as their own - professionally run, competitive from day one, and permanent," the owner of Axcel United Kabul said in the statement.

"Zwanan means youth, and that is not decoration on a badge - it is our mandate," the Balkh Zwanan owners said. "Balkh and the north have talent that has never had a professional pathway. We intend to scout it, sign it, and put it on a stage where the whole country and the wider cricketing world can see it."

The Kandahar Warriors owners promised raucous fans and aggressive cricket: "Kandahar supporters do not come to watch politely. They come loud, and they expect a team that plays the same way - aggressive, fearless cricket that reflects the character of the south."

Afghanistan continue to play their domestic T20 league - the Shpageeza Cricket League - between five domestic teams in the July-August window every year.