Afghanistan Announce 15-Member Squad For Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026; Ikram Alikhil To Lead

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced its 15-member squad for the ACC Men's Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 which will be held in Doha, Qatar from November 19 to 29. Ikram Alikhil will lead the AfghanAbdalyan team which includes promising players such as Ijaz Ahmadzai, AM Ghazanfar, Hassan Eisakhil, Bilal Sami and Qais Ahmad.

Fast bowler Bilal Sami has been included after recently playing in Afghanistan's ODI tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Ijaz Ahmadzai has also earned a place in the squad after scoring back-to-back half-centuries in the ongoing T20I series.

Afghanistan have been placed in Group A alongside Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A and Hong Kong, China. They will begin their campaign against Sri Lanka A on November 19, followed by matches against Bangladesh A on November 21 and Hong Kong on November 23.

Afghanistan Squad For Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026

Ikram Alikhil (Captain and Wicket-keeper), Mohammad Ishaq (Wicket-keeper), Hassan Eisakhil, Imran Mir, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Baheer Shah Mahbooob, Farmanullah Safi, Qais Ahmad, Naseer Khan Maroofkhil, AM Ghazanfar, Bilal Sami, Bashir Ahmad and Naveed Zadran.

Reserves: Abdullah Tarakhil, Khalid Taniwal and Izharulhaq Naveed.

Afghanistan Fixtures At Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026

Afghanistan will face Sri Lanka A on Thursday, November 19 in their opening match in Doha. They will then take on Bangladesh A on November 21 before playing their final group-stage match against Hong Kong, China, on November 23.

The semi-finals are scheduled for November 26 and 27. while the final will take place on November 29 in Doha.