New Delhi, June 12 -- The Afghanistan Premier League (APL) is scheduled to begin on December 27 this year, with the tournament marking one of the most intriguing investment opportunities in modern cricket.

At a time when franchise cricket continues to expand across the world, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is introducing a competition built around one of the sport's most passionate fan bases, some of the world's most exciting players, and a market with significant untapped commercial potential.

The APL is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year and will feature five franchises representing Afghanistan's major cricketing regions: Kabul, Kandahar, Balkh, Paktia, and Nangarhar. The Afghanistan Cricket Board...