Asian Games 2026: New Captain Appointed, No Place For Big Stars– Check Full Squad

Afghanistan has unveiled a youth-heavy squad for the upcoming 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Darwish Rasooli will lead the side which boasts emerging talent along experienced names like Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat.

Selected by the Afghanistan Cricket Board's National Selection Committee, the squad draws heavily from performers in the recently concluded Shpageeza Cricket League. Several senior players, including regular captain Rashid Khan, have been left out as Afghanistan look to test their bench strength at the continental event.

Top-order batter Mohammad Akram was included in squad after finishing among the leading run-scorers in the Shpageeza Cricket League, where he scored 339 runs in 8 innings, including a hundred and two fifties.

All-rounder Ismat Alam, who was named the Best Player of the Tournament for his impressive tally of 294 runs and 9 wickets, was rewarded after an impressive campaign.

Youngsters Mohammad Ishaq, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal and Imran Mir also feature in the squad, giving Afghanistan a fresh look ahead of the tournament. The Asian Games will be held from September 24 to October 3, shortly after Afghanistan’s T20I series against India in Delhi.

Afghanistan squad for Asian Games 2026

Darwish Rasooli (captain), Mohammad Ishaq (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Khalid Taniwal, Imran Mir, Faisal Khan Shinozada, Najibullah Zadran, Farmanullah Safi, Ismat Alam, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdullah Ahmadzai.

Among the fresh faces in Afghanistan’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games is Hassan Eisakhil, the 20-year-old son of former captain and all-round great Mohammad Nabi. A top-order batter, Eisakhil has impressed in domestic cricket, scoring 1,094 runs in 41 T20 matches, although he is yet to make his senior international debut for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will be aiming to go one step further than they did at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they clinched the silver medal. They booked a place in the final after defeating Pakistan in the semifinal but eventually finished runners-up to India.