Guwahati, July 29, 2026 — Assam is about to get its first-ever franchise T20 cricket league. The Assam Premier League 2026 (APL), organised by the Assam Cricket Association (ACA), begins on August 1 and runs through August 23, with eight city-based teams competing in 43 matches. The league was formally launched in June by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the player auction concluded on July 19 in Guwahati. Here is a straight, fact-checked breakdown of what’s confirmed so far — and what the ACA hasn’t announced yet.
Table of Contents
- Latest Update
- What Is the Assam Premier League?
- Background and Why It Was Created
- Who Organises APL 2026?
- Teams List
- Full Schedule and Key Fixtures
- Player Auction Results
- Player Registration: How It Worked
- Venue
- Broadcast and Live Streaming
- What Hasn’t Been Announced Yet
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Official Sources
- Disclaimer
Latest Update
The APL 2026 player auction concluded successfully in Guwahati, with all eight franchises building their squads and 150 cricketers securing contracts for the inaugural edition Assam batter Denish Das became the costliest signing of the auction, going to Barpeta Braves for Rs 12.60 lakh, while Sumit Ghadigaonkar went to Charaideo Sunrisers for Rs 12.20 lakh.With squads now set, the league moves into match-week countdown mode ahead of the August 1 opener.
What Is the Assam Premier League?
The Assam Premier League is a T20 franchise cricket tournament featuring eight teams representing different regions of Assam. It was launched by the Assam Cricket Association with the goal of creating a professional, sustainable platform for emerging cricketers and raising the standard of domestic cricket across the state, and it is being billed as the state’s largest franchise-based T20 tournament. For a state cricket association, running a full city-franchise league is a big step up from the usual domestic club and Ranji-feeder structure — which is exactly why the launch made national news.
Background and Why It Was Created
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma formally unveiled the league’s logo, trophy and franchise names in June, with player squads and the schedule to follow later. The idea, according to ACA leadership, is to give Assam’s home-grown cricketers regular high-pressure match exposure that can feed directly into state and national selection.
ACA president Taranga Gogoi framed it this way ahead of the auction:The auction on 19 July is the day this league becomes real for our players. Cricketers from every district of Assam have put their names forward, and in a week they will know which of the eight teams they will represent.”
Who Organises APL 2026?
The tournament is run entirely by the Assam Cricket Association (ACA), the state governing body affiliated with the BCCI. The league is designed to feed directly into the identification and selection of players for the forthcoming BCCI domestic season, giving it a clear competitive purpose beyond entertainment.
Teams List
Eight franchises, each representing a different Assam city or region, will compete in Season 1:
| # | Franchise |
|---|---|
| 1 | Charaideo Sunrisers |
| 2 | Barpeta Braves |
| 3 | Tezpur Titans |
| 4 | Dibrugarh Warriors |
| 5 | Barak Legends |
| 6 | Nagaon Rangers |
| 7 | Guwahati Royals |
| 8 | Jorhat Stallions |
These eight franchises represent eight cities across Assam.
Full Schedule and Key Fixtures
The tournament runs across a 23-day calendar from August 1 to August 23, 2026, with 43 total matches — 40 league-stage games, two semi-finals and one final.Each team plays every other side once in the league stage, plus three reverse fixtures, which sets up several repeat match-ups on the way to the top four.
Opening matches:
- August 1, 2:00 PM — Charaideo Sunrisers vs Barpta Braves
- August 1, 7:00 PM — Tezpur Titans vs Dibrugarh Warriors
- August 2 — Barak Legends vs Nagaon Rangers, followed by Guwahati Royals vs Jorhat Stallions
Business end of the league stage:
- August 20 (final league day) — Tezpur Titans vs Barak Legends at 2:00 PM, then Dibrugarh Warriors vs Nagaon Rangers at 7:00 PM, a match that could decide the last semi-final spot.
- August 21 — Semi-finals: 2nd vs 3rd place at 2:00 PM, and the table-toppers vs 4th place at 7:00 PM.
- August 22 — Rest day.
- August 23, 7:00 PM — Grand Final, crowning APL’s first-ever champion.
Marquee repeat fixtures to watch:Dibrugarh Warriors face Guwahati Royals twice — on August 10 and August 18 — while Charaideo Sunrisers meet Guwahati Royals on August 11 and August 19.
A day-by-day list of all 43 fixtures had not been published on the ACA’s official channels at the time of writing. This article will be updated once the complete match-by-match table is released.
Player Auction Results
The ACA announced a 275-player pool for the auction, made up of 20 marquee players and over 250 players in the general category.The marquee list was led by batting and all-round names such as Denish Das, Sibsankar Roy, Sumit Kashyap, Swarupam Purkayastha and Jitumoni Kalita, with Mrinmoy Dutta, Muktar Hussain, Avinav Choudhary, Rahul Singh, Sadak Hussain and Bhargab Pratim Lakhar heading the bowling group.Wicketkeeping options included Sumit Ghadigaonkar, Rohit Sen and Ruhinandan Pegu.
Top marquee prices on auction day (July 19, ACA Stadium, Guwahati):
| Player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Denish Das | Barpeta Braves | Rs 12.60 lakh |
| Sumit Ghadigaonkar | Charaideo Sunrisers | Rs 12.20 lakh |
| Sibsankar Roy | Barak Legends | Rs 12 lakh |
| Ayushman Malakar | Tezpur Titans | Rs 11.80 lakh |
| Swarupam Purkayastha | Jorhat Stallions | Rs 11.80 lakh |
| Abdul Ajij Kuraishi | Barak Legends | Rs 8.40 lakh |
| Bhargab Lakhar | Barak Legends | Rs 5.20 lakh |
This information comes from India Today NE’s auction-day report. Full squad lists for all eight teams had not been officially published in one place at the time of writing.
Player Registration: How It Worked
Online player registration for APL 2026 was opened by the ACA through its official website, with the window running from May 26, 2026, at 12:00 AM to May 30, 2026, at 5:00 PM.Players who registered in that window formed the base pool from which the 275-player auction shortlist was drawn.
If a similar structure is followed for Season 2, expect registration to open several weeks before the auction, through assamcricket.com. If you’re planning to try out for a future season, following the ACA’s official website and social channels is the most reliable way to catch the registration window — it appears to be short (around five days) once it opens.
Venue
The auction and league launch events were held at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, and Guwahati remains the hub city for the league. The ACA has not published a full venue-by-venue breakdown for all 43 matches; some fixtures may be played at ACA’s home ground while others could be hosted at grounds closer to the participating franchises’ home districts. This article will be updated once venue details for individual matches are confirmed.
Broadcast and Live Streaming
Matches from the inaugural edition will be broadcast live on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar. This gives APL 2026 both a TV footprint and a digital streaming option for fans across India and Assam, similar to how other regional T20 leagues are distributed.
What Hasn’t Been Announced Yet
To keep this guide accurate, here’s what the ACA has not publicly confirmed as of July 29, 2026:
- Team captains for each of the eight franchises
- Prize money for the winner, runner-up, and individual awards (Player of the Series, Orange Cap, Purple Cap, etc.)
- Full squad lists for all eight teams
- Complete day-by-day fixture list covering all 43 matches
- Ticket sales details and pricing
- Title/associate sponsors for the league
- Detailed eligibility criteria (age limits, domicile rules) for future player registration windows
Any article claiming to have these specific figures right now should be treated with caution — they were not part of any official ACA release or credible news report found at the time of writing. We’ll update this piece the moment the ACA publishes them.
FAQ
Q1.What is the Assam Premier League 2026?
It’s Assam’s first franchise-based T20 cricket league, run by the Assam Cricket Association, featuring eight teams competing in 43 matches from August 1 to 23, 2026.
Q2.When does APL 2026 start?
The tournament starts on August 1, 2026, with the final on August 23, 2026.
Q3.How many teams are in APL 2026?
Eight teams: Charaideo Sunrisers, Barpeta Braves, Tezpur Titans, Dibrugarh Warriors, Barak Legends, Nagaon Rangers, Guwahati Royals, and Jorhat Stallions.
Q4.Who organises the Assam Premier League?
The Assam Cricket Association (ACA), the BCCI-affiliated state cricket body, organises and runs APL 2026.
Q5.How can I watch APL 2026 live?
Matches will be broadcast on Star Sports and streamed live on JioHotstar.
Q6.Where was the player auction held?
The APL Player Auction was held on July 19, 2026, at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati.
Q7.Who was the most expensive player in the auction?
Denish Das, bought by Barpeta Braves for Rs 12.60 lakh, was the top marquee signing.
Q8.How many players were in the auction pool?
275 players — 20 marquee players and over 250 in the general category.
Q9.How do players register for APL?
Registration opens through the official ACA website (assamcricket.com) in a short window announced in advance; for the 2026 season, it ran from May 26 to May 30.
Q10.What is the prize money for APL 2026?
Not officially announced yet by the ACA at the time of writing.
Official Sources
- Assam Cricket Association — assamcricket.com
- Assam Cricket Association official X/Twitter account (@assamcric)
- ANI News coverage of APL 2026 launch and schedule
- PTI/The Print coverage of the league launch
