Mohammad Nabi believes Afghanistan cricket has climbed to a new stage, and he credits a big part of that rise to the BCCI and the IPL. Speaking while playing for Dubai Capitals in ILT20, Nabi said India’s support has helped Afghan players grow and feel ready for bigger global events.
He said the BCCI and the Indian government backed Afghanistan at key moments, even helping build a ground in Kandahar. Nabi explained that Indian facilities and opportunities opened doors for young players who needed exposure.
Nabi pointed out that around 9 to 10 Afghan players played in the IPL last year. He said this experience has sharpened skills and lifted the national team. “They gave us a lot of exposure, and the experience we gained from that has helped us on the national team as well,” he said.
He spoke proudly about Afghanistan’s long cricket journey. He called it a 24 year climb from “zero” to a team that now plays World Cups and has already reached a semifinal. He said the path had many highs and lows, but the team is now competing at a strong level. “I’m really happy, and I’m still enjoying my cricket as well,” Nabi said.
Eyes on the 2026 T20 World Cup
Nabi said Afghanistan will give everything at the 2026 T20 World Cup. He believes subcontinent conditions will help his team. He added that many Afghan players have already played several IPL games in similar conditions. “Hopefully, we do better than we did at the last World Cup,” he said.
He also welcomed talk of a possible expansion of the World Test Championship. He said playing Test cricket against top teams would be a big learning step. “It will be a great experience to play with the high level test teams,” he said.
Nabi’s words reflect how far Afghanistan have come. From a war hit country trying to build a cricket culture, they have grown into a confident team looking forward to global events with belief.