Hasibullah Lakanwal — the Silver pick with the least-known name in the squad

Picked from 462, into a squad of stars

Hasibullah Lakanwal’s name reached a wider audience on 3 November 2026, when Paktia picked him in the Silver category at the APL player draft in Dubai. The draft, held at the Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, completed all five squads for the revived league’s first season: 90 players were selected from a pool of 462 registered cricketers, across six categories and 18 rounds.

Lakanwal was one of Paktia’s five Silver picks, and his selection put him in a nineteen-player squad led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a season starting on 27 December 2026 in the United Arab Emirates. The franchise’s Platinum pick was Wanindu Hasaranga, its Diamond picks were Noor Ahmad and Nahid Rana, and its Gold round brought in Ijaz Ahmadzai, Farmanullah Safi, Colin Munro, David Wiese and Hashmatullah Shahidi.

His role is not stated in the draft release, and no birth date is published in the sources checked for this profile, so neither is claimed here. What is known is the scale of the moment: picked from a pool of 462, named in a squad alongside World Cup winners and franchise regulars, and given a first season in which every appearance will be a first.

Domestic cricket, and a name to sort out

Before the APL draft, Lakanwal’s cricket had been played in Afghanistan’s domestic system, and the clearest public trace of it is the Shpageeza Cricket League, the ACB’s domestic T20 tournament. He was named in the Mis Ainak Knights squad for the 2021 edition, whose squads were announced in early September 2021, and in the Kabul Eagles squad for 2022.

Two things about the selection are worth saying plainly. First, the shared surname invites confusion: Noor Ahmad Lakanwal, Paktia’s Diamond pick, is a different player — an established left-arm wrist-spinner with an international career — while Hasibullah Lakanwal arrives without a senior international appearance in the sources checked for this profile. Second, 2026 is his first APL season. He was in none of the five squads when the league was first played in 2018.

For a domestic player with no profile on the big stats sites, the draft is the story. The Silver round exists so that players like him get a dressing room with senior internationals in it, and a chance to be ready when it comes.

No APL numbers yet — a debut at any age

Lakanwal has no APL figures yet. He did not play in 2018, and the 2026-27 season has not started, so his numbers will be filled in once the matches are played.

2026-27 figures will be added here once the matches are played. His role and birth date are not stated in the sources checked, so they are not claimed here.

A domestic player learning in elite company

Paktia’s squad mixes headline overseas names with Afghan domestic players, and Lakanwal sits firmly in the second group. The Platinum, Diamond and Gold rounds bought the stars; the Silver round bought the depth — players who train with the stars, learn the standard, and step in when a chance comes.

Whether he plays in the first week or the last, his season will be measured the same way: by whether he is ready when Gurbaz needs him. That is what the Silver picks are for.

A new club, a blank record

Five teams chase four playoff places in APL 2026-27, so one side goes home after the league stage. Each team plays eight league matches — each opponent twice — and a win is worth two points. The table is empty because the season has not started: every team begins on zero points, and the first update comes after Match 1 on 27 December 2026, when the first ball is bowled at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (5:00 PM Dubai time) in the UAE. The final is on Wednesday 20 January 2027.

Paktia are a new club for 2026-27, not a continuation of the 2018 Paktia Panthers. The APL season starts on 27 December 2026 in the UAE, and Lakanwal’s debut, whenever Paktia hand it to him, will be his first appearance in the tournament.