Four Afghan cricketers have been retained by their respective franchises as teams gear up for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, which is scheduled to be held on 16 December in Abu Dhabi.

Across all teams, 173 players have been retained, including 49 overseas players. With a maximum squad size of 25 players permitted for each franchise, Punjab Kings lead the list with 21 retained players, the highest among the 10 teams. Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans have each retained 20 players.

Retained Afghan Players:

• Noor Ahmad – Chennai Super Kings
• Rashid Khan – Gujarat Titans
• Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar – Mumbai Indians
• Azmatullah Omarzai – Punjab Kings

Released Afghan Players:

• Sediqullah Atal – Delhi Capitals
• Karim Janat – Gujarat Titans
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz – Kolkata Knight Riders
• Mujeeb Ur Rahman – Mumbai Indians
• Fazalhaq Farooqi – Rajasthan Royals

The Afghanistan A national cricket team (Afghan Abdalyan) defeated the Sri Lanka A cricket team by a margin of three wickets in the opening match of Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025.

The match took place on Saturday in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

Sri Lanka A won the toss and opted to bat first, posting 170 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their 20 overs, setting a target of 171 for Afghanistan.

Afghan Abdalyan successfully chased the target in 19.5 overs, losing seven wickets, securing a three-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.

Bilal Sami played a key role, scoring 45 runs and taking four wickets.

In their next match, Afghanistan A will face Bangladesh A on 17 November.

Mohammad Yousuf Jahangir made history on Friday by securing Afghanistan’s first-ever gold medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh. The Muay Thai fighter claimed the top spot in the 75 kg category after defeating his Turkish opponent, Mohammad Ali, in the final.

A total of 69 Afghan athletes are competing across 13 sporting disciplines at this year’s Games. Afghanistan’s representatives are participating in athletics (2), boxing (2), futsal (14), ju-jitsu (7), karate (3), muay thai (2), swimming (4), table tennis (2), taekwondo (5), volleyball (12), weightlifting (4), wrestling (9), and wushu (3).

This year marks Afghanistan’s largest-ever delegation at the Islamic Solidarity Games, highlighting renewed national efforts to strengthen sports development and expand the country’s presence in international competitions.

Ariana Television Network (ATN) is serving as Afghanistan’s official broadcaster for the Games, allowing fans nationwide to tune in daily and follow the action live.

The Islamic Solidarity Games 2025 officially opened in Riyadh on Friday, November 7, and will run until November 21. Approximately 3,500 athletes from 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are competing in 21 sports and two para-sports. The event returns to Saudi Arabia after 20 years, with the inaugural Games having been held there in 2005.