The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) hosted ‘Koh-e-Zafar’ (Mountain of Triumph), a special event on Wednesday, bringing together officials from the ACB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), along with Indian and Afghan cricketers. The special evening celebrated the long-standing history and friendship between the two boards while recognising the shared cricketing journey and the strong relationship that has developed between the two cricketing nations over the years.
We played in the IPL and started there. The West Indies went on to win the World Cup. It’s always a pleasure to play there, and we get a lot of experience from playing in the IPL.
“It’s helped a lot since 2017. Before 2016, we played the World Cup there, and we won one game against the West Indies.
We’re always really happy to play in India,” he said.
The Afghanistan Premier League (APL) trophy was also on display during the evening, adding to the celebration of Afghanistan’s cricketing journey. The growth of Afghan cricket in recent years is reflected in the launch of the APL, highlighting the country’s growing cricketing talent and the continued development of the sport. The league is slated to begin on December 27, 2026, with the upcoming season set to feature five teams. The ‘Koh-e-Zafar’ event comes ahead of the final T20I of the three-match series between India and Afghanistan, scheduled to be played on September 17, 2026.
Speaking at the event, India’s T20I team skipper Shreyas Iyer praised Afghanistan’s fighting spirit and the strong relationship between the two teams. Iyer added that India enjoys playing Afghanistan, describing their encounters as competitive and appreciating their hunger to win. India has been a ‘home’ venue for Afghan cricket over the years, with the team playing quite a few home series in India. The cricketing synergies between the two nations have grown over time, with Afghanistan playing its first-ever Test match against India at the M. The historic match marked Afghanistan’s entry into Test cricket, an occasion that was significant not only for Afghanistan’s cricketing journey but also as a reflection of the strong relationship between the two cricket boards. He expressed gratitude for the love and encouragement they continue to receive whenever they play in the country, saying it means a lot to the team. Several Afghan cricketers have also been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with the likes of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad , and Azmatullah Omarzai enthralling fans with their electric performances that have made them household names in India, demonstrating the widespread respect and affection they command. So it’s always good learning from them. Especially, I’ve played with Nabi bhai at Mumbai Indians, and he used to help me a lot during batting sessions as well, explaining how he was planning to bowl. So it’s always good to learn from them.
Because we have also played in the IPL together, and we all know what good human beings they are, “It’s always fun playing against them. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in June 2018.
He said he had spoken to Ibrahim Zadran , who was disappointed by the series loss but remained eager to improve and compete. Ibrahim Zadran said Afghanistan have received strong support from fans in Delhi and across India over the years. Plus, like Iyer bhai said, the hunger they show when we play against them and how they look to take wickets every time. Everything is on the positive side, so we always love to play against the Afghanistan team,” he said.
