BCCI says no to Afghanistan Premier League in India

The inaugural Afghanistan Premier League was held in Sharjah last year saw five teams take part in it with Balkh Legends winning the title. © Getty

The BCCI has turned down Afghanistan Cricket Board's request to host its T20 league in India. It is rare for the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to say no to ACB as it has contributed immensely to the growth of Afghanistan cricket.

"The ACB did request us to host its league in India but it would not be appropriate considering we have our own league (the IPL)," a BCCI official said on Tuesday (June 18).

The ACB officials had conveyed their request to the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and GM Cricket Operations Saba Karim during their meeting in Mumbai on May 16. ACB CEO Asadullah Khan had also asked for a third home ground in India after Dehradun and Greater Noida and on that front, the BCCI has no issues. Lucknow is likely to be their third home ground in India.

The inaugural Afghanistan Premier League was held in Sharjah last year saw five teams take part in it with Balkh Legends winning the title. The event attracted the participation from known foreign names like Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Ben Cutting, Shahid Afridi, Colin Ingram and Colin Munro.