Sport

Rashid Khan named one of five players to watch during this year’s IPL

Published

4 years ago

March 27, 2022

The Indian Premier League cricket got underway Saturday for its 15th edition as 10 teams battle it out for the Twenty20 title.

This year, all matches will be played in Mumbai and Pune, in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19.

For local cricket fans, Ariana Television will bring the matches to them live throughout the tournament after ATN secured the rights to broadcast in Afghanistan.

Today, Sunday, fans can tune in to Ariana Television from 2pm to watch Delhi Capitals take on Mumbai Indians.

On Sunday, AFP Sport highlighted the five players to watch in the two-month extravaganza.

Among the five is Afghan cricketing hero, Rashid Khan, who continues to make his country proud.

The five players to watch, according to AFP Sport, are:

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

The recently dethroned India captain will be desperate to end his recent dry run with the bat, having not scored an international century since November 2019, and finally win an IPL title.

Kohli, who has also stepped down as Bangalore skipper, has been the team’s go-to batsman alongside the now-retired AB de Villiers. This season they will have veteran fellow South African Faf du Plessis.

Commentator Harsha Bhogle believes Bangalore will be in contention for their maiden title if “King Kohli” delivers 75 percent of his 973 runs in 2016 when his team finished runners-up.

Liam Livingstone (Punjab Kings)

Punjab broke the bank for the England batsman and occasional spinner as the 28-year-old became the most expensive player in this season’s auction at $1.52 million.

Livingstone, who hit England’s fastest T20 century, in 42 balls, in a game against Pakistan last year, adds muscle to a Punjab batting line-up that includes skipper Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan and England teammate Jonny Bairstow.

But former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said having Livingstone, who had an ordinary last season with Rajasthan Royals, will be a “gamble” for Punjab.

David Warner (Delhi Capitals)

The swashbuckling opener parted ways with Sunrisers Hyderabad after a poor season last year and joins Delhi Capitals under coach and fellow Australian Ricky Ponting.

The 35-year-old silenced his critics with a key role in Australia’s maiden T20 World Cup triumph.

With 5,449 runs in 150 IPL matches, Warner will boost the batting-line up for Delhi, led by wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who are still searching for their maiden IPL title.

Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans)

It was a coup for the IPL newcomers to get the Afghan spin wizard for $2.3 million in the draft pick ahead of the auction.

He has bagged 105 wickets in 58 T20 internationals with his leg-spin and was a key player for Sunrisers Hyderabad with 93 scalps in 76 IPL matches.

Rashid is one of the hottest properties in world cricket and beats the best with a deadly googly. He is also an excellent fielder and useful lower-order batsman.

Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)

A veteran of nearly 400 T20 matches, the bowling all-rounder will be key to Kolkata’s hopes of going one better than their runners-up finish last year.

Narine’s mystery spin and his ability to score quick runs as a left-handed batsman in the top or middle order helped Kolkata to title wins in 2012 and 2014.

The 33-year-old was retained along with fellow West Indian Andre Russell by Kolkata.

Pundit Harsha Bhogle called him a “T20 franchise beast”.

Related Topics:featured IPL 2022 Rashid Khan

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Sport

Abu Muslim Farah beat Sarsabz Yashlar 3–0 in sixth season of ACL opener

Fans across Afghanistan can watch today’s second and third matches live and exclusively on Ariana Television.

Published

9 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Ariana News

Defending champions Abu Muslim Farah made a winning start to the sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, defeating Sarsabz Yashlar of Faryab 3–0 in the opening match.

The match, played Thursday evening at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium, saw Abu Muslim Farah dominate proceedings and secure all three points with a convincing performance.

Omid Popalzai opened the scoring in the first half, before Mahboob Hanafi and Omid Rajabi added two more goals after the break to seal a comfortable victory for the defending champions.

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League features 10 teams, with the competition being played on a home-and-away format in Kabul.

Today, Friday, Omar Zawak Loy Shindand will face Khurasan Faryab at 3:30 p.m., while Istiqlal Kabul will take on Toofan Herat in the third match of the day.

Ariana Khost and Umar Zawak Loy Shindand are among the new teams competing in this season’s tournament.

Fans across Afghanistan can watch today’s second and third matches live and exclusively on Ariana Television.

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League will run until November 21, with the participating teams battling for the championship title.

Sport

Afghanistan Champions League Season 6 kicks off today: Abu Muslim Farah face Sarsabz Yashlar

The match is scheduled for 7:30pm Kabul time and will mark the start of a season running until November 21.

Published

1 day ago

September 10, 2026

Ariana News

The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League kicks off Thursday, September 10, with defending champions Abu Muslim Farah facing Sarsabz Yashlar of Faryab in the opening match.

The match is scheduled for 7:30pm Kabul time and will mark the start of a season running until November 21.

Ten clubs will compete in the league, with matches played in a home-and-away format in Kabul.

Abu Muslim Farah will begin their title defence against Sarsabz Yashlar, while Ariana Khost and Omar Zawak Loy Shindand are among the new additions to this season’s competition.

The other participating teams are Aino Mina, Arman FC, Istiqlal Kabul, Khurasan Faryab, Sorkh Poshan Khafi and Toofan Herat.

Fans across Afghanistan can watch the opening match live and exclusively on Ariana Television from 7:30pm Kabul time.

The Afghanistan Champions League will continue through November 21, with clubs competing for the Season 6 title.

Sport

Afghanistan to host Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE in three-format home season

All the matches will be played in the UAE, though the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has not yet announced the venues.

Published

2 days ago

September 9, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan are set to host Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in October-November in a packed home season that will include matches in all three formats.

All the matches will be played in the UAE, though the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has not yet announced the venues.

The season will kick off on October 9 – six days after the final of the Asian Games T20 tournament in Japan, should Afghanistan make it that far – with a one-off Test match against Bangladesh.

An ODI tri-series will follow from October 17 to 23, with Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe facing each other once before the top two teams meet in the final.

Afghanistan will then take on Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series from October 27 to November 1. The two teams will then face off in two Test matches, the first from November 5 to 9 and the second from November 13 to 17.

Afghanistan have already played a Test match this year, against India in New Chandigarh in June. The three matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will take Afghanistan’s total for the year to four Tests – the most they will have played in a calendar year so far.

Afghanistan have played two Tests against Bangladesh so far, winning one and losing the other. They have played five against Zimbabwe, winning two, losing two, and drawing one.

“We are pleased to confirm this important period of international cricket for the Afghanistan National Team,” ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said. “Playing Bangladesh and Zimbabwe across different formats will provide our players with valuable competitive opportunities and offer our supporters an exciting period of international cricket.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board remains committed to providing our national team with regular, high-quality international cricket. We highly value our relationships with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket and appreciate their cooperation in making these important assignments possible.”

Afghanistan vs Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the UAE, 2026-27

One-off Test vs Bangladesh October 9-13

ODI tri-series
Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe October 17
Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe October 19
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh October 21
Final October 23

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe T20I series
1st T20I October 27
2nd T20I October 29
3rd T20I November 1

Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe Test series
1st Test Nov 5 – 9
2nd Test Nov 13 – 17