Kashmir Premier League

In December 2020, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, Shehryar Khan Afridi launched the Kashmir Premier League in Azad Kashmir. The President of Azad Kashmir, Masood Khan, was appointed as the Chief Patron of the Kashmir Premier League. Ch. Shahzad Akhtar is the CEO and Arif Malik is the founding President of the Kashmir Premier League, and former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is the founding Vice President. Shahid Afridi is the Brand Ambassador of the KPL. While, Shoaib Akhtar is the peace ambassador of the league. On 16 February 2021, the official anthem of the league was released. It was directed by Shaan Shahid and sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Many Pakistani film celebrities, such as Juggun Kazim, Mehwish Hayat, Iman Ali, Ali Gul Pir, Neelam Muneer, and Ayesha Omar are brand ambassadors of the Kashmir Premier League. KPL has partnered with Shahid Afridi Foundation as a charity organization.

The league was initially scheduled to start in May 2021. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board moved the time window for its start to August 2021. On 14 June 2021, diamond category of the Kashmir Premier League was announced. On 2 August 2021, match fixtures for the inaugural season of the KPL were announced. On 6 August, the opening ceremony of the league was held, with 25% spectators allowed in the stadium. The KPL was showcased at Expo 2020 from 25 March to 27 March 2022. The showcase was hosted by Zaariya Khan and some attendees were Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Herschelle Gibbs and Wasim Akram. In May 2022, former Pakistani captain Rashid Latif was appointed as the KPL’s Director of Cricket Operations. A league committee was formed on 7 July 2022. Bagh Stallions’ co-owner, Tauqir Sultan Awan, was elected as its chairman.