Asian Legends League 2026: Match Dates, Venues, Teams & Live Updates

The Asian Legends League is returning for its second edition in 2026. The second edition of the Asian Legends League is scheduled to be held in Zambia from July 30 to August 10, 2026.

The first Asian Legends League ended in March 2025 with Asian Stars winning the title. With the arrival of Season 2, the defending champions are looking to retain their crown and the six franchise teams are filled with names that have defined Asian cricket for two decades.

The Six Franchises

Six country-based franchises will participate in the upcoming tournament. The participating teams include Indian Royals, Sri Lankan Lions, Bangladesh Tigers, Afghanistan Pathans, Pakistan Panthers and Asian Stars. Each team has a distinct identity and a captain whose name alone commands attention.

Teams and Captains:

Shikhar Dhawan leads the Indian Royals, Thisara Perera represents the Sri Lankan Lions, Shakib Al Hasan leads the Bangladesh Tigers and Mohammad Shahzad leads the Afghanistan Pathans. Mohammad Hafeez will lead the Pakistan Panthers, while Suresh Raina will lead the Asian Stars.

The league is designed exclusively for Asian teams and aims to showcase the continent’s cricketing heritage and competitive spirit. Defending champions Indian Royals enter Season 2 as the team that every other franchise wants to beat.

The Star Power

The squad for Season 2 features names that every Asian cricket fan has grown up watching. The tournament includes Ambati Rayudu, Naman Ojha, Rishi Dhawan, Upul Tharanga, Isuru Udana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dilshan Munawwara, Asela Gunaratne, Imran Nazir, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Akmal, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Alok Kapali and Malinda Siriwardhana, with more big names expected to be announced.

The format is T20 and the entertainment brief is clear. These are players who have proven everything in international cricket. They are now here to remind fans what made them famous.

The Rivalry Everyone Awaits

There is one match in Asian cricket that has postponed everything else on the schedule. The match between Indian Royals and Pakistan Panthers is on the calendar for Season 2. The match between Yusuf Pathan and Mohammad Hafeez brings back one of cricket’s most exciting continental rivalries in a format designed for boundaries and theatre.

These two nations have not played bilateral international cricket against each other in years and ALL provides a platform for fans to see that rivalry come to life again. Every edition of this league is built around this match and Season 2 is no different.

Why Zambia?

League Commissioner Chetan Sharma said the second season was a significant milestone in this journey and the long-term goal is to host the tournament in a variety of markets globally. The move to Zambia reflects that ambition. Africa is one of the fastest growing cricket markets in the world and the ICC has invested significantly in development across the continent.

Taking a tournament of established Asian giants to Zambia opens up the game to a new audience that has not yet had a deep connection to Asian cricket. It also establishes the ALL brand in a region where no comparable product has operated before.

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Asian Legends League 2026: Format and Schedule

The league retains its distinctive country-based franchise format, which unites experienced players from across Asia and honours the region’s rich cricketing history, fierce rivalry and camaraderie that characterise the game. The top teams play a round-robin group stage before reaching the final on 10 August. The schedule includes double-header days to keep the schedule tight and the focus on entertainment.

Asian Legends League 2026: Full Squads

Indian Royals

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Yusuf Pathan, Naman Ojha, Rishi Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwari, Pawan Negi, Harbhajan Singh, Mohit Sharma, Shadab Jakati, Abhimanyu Mithun, Sudeep Tyagi, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Yadav, Framan Ahmed, Subodh Bhati

Sri Lankan Lions

Thisara Perera (c), Upul Tharanga, Jeevan Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Ajantha Mendis, Milinda Siriwardane, Seekuge Prasanna, Gihan Rupasinghe, Chaturanga De Silva, Malintha Pushpakumara, Thilana Thushara, Akalanka Ganegama, Vikum Sanjaya, Mevan Fernando, TM Sampath, Nishan Samarkkody

Bangladesh Tigers

Shakib Al Hassan (c), Alok Kapali, Mehedy Maruf, Arafat Sunny, Nazmues Sadat, Muktar Ali, Dhiman Ghosh, Saqlain Shojib, Abul Hassan Raju, Shafiul Islam, Rubbel Hossian, Nasir Hossian, Taposh Ghosh, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Hossian Milon, Farhad Hussain

Afghanistan Pathans

Mohammad Shahzad (c), Shamiullah Shinwari, Asghar Afghan, Ghami Zadran, Shoaib Khan, Khyber Umar, Munir Kakar, Khakid Khan Sangarkhil, Shabir Noori, Zahid Shirzad, Sahejad Pathan, Khalid Kail, Rokhan Barekzai, Mausif Khan, Batin Shah, Waqarullah Ishaq

Asian Stars

Suresh Raina (c), Rohan Mustafa, TM Dilshan, Sheldon Jackson, CP Rizwan, Asela Gunaratne, Angelo Perera, Mehran Khan, Dilshan Munaweera, Bipul Sharma, Isuru Udana, Zahoor Khan, Pawan Suyal, Munish Ansari, Sandeep Singh, Amitose Singh, Swapnil Patil

Pakistan Panthers

Muhammad Hafeez (c), Shoaib Malik, Sharjeel Khan, Yasir Shah, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanveer, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Nazir, Rana Naveed Ul Hassan, Mohammad Irfan, Zulfiquar Babar, Rahat Ali, Hassan Raza, Yasir Bhatt, Rana Naeem Anwar

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