Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise in the International League (ILT20), Dubai Capitals have secured the signing of Afghanistan young batting sensation Sediqullah Atal for the upcoming 2025-26 edition, slated to start from December 2. He will replace West Indies white-ball skipper Shai Hope, who will be unavailable for the tournament.
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Notably, Atal was previously acquired by DC ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction as a replacement for England’s Harry Brook after he decided to pull out of the tournament. Atal was roped in for INR 1.25 crores.
While the 24-year-old just got one opportunity to play in DC colours, where he made 22 runs, his new stint with the Dubai side could help him make a strong case for an IPL 2026 retention. Furthermore, DC’s trust in the young talent shows that the franchise sees the Afghan star as a future talent.
Apart from the IPL, Sediqullah Atal has also plied his trade in the SA20 season earlier this year for MI Cape Town, scoring 82 runs from his three outings at an average of 27.33, which included a fifty too.
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Atal boasts of promising numbers in the shortest format. He finished as the second-highest run scorer in the Afghan T20 League (Shpageeza Cricket League 2025) with 308 runs, averaging at 38.50 while he was the top scorer in the tournament last season with an average of over 50s.
In total, the young opener has played 62 T20s across various competitions, amassing 1966 runs at an average touching 35 with 16 fifties and a highest score of 95*.
For the unversed, Atal first made waves during the 2023 Kabul Premier League with an explosive display, hammering 48 runs in a single over. His unbeaten knock of 118 runs came off just 56 deliveries, featuring seven boundaries and ten massive sixes. He continued his explosive form in the tournament final, blasting a 42-ball century with a brilliant 103-run innings.
Sediqullah then impressed at the international stage next during the 2024 T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup, where he played a crucial role in Afghanistan’s championship victory. Finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, he amassed 368 runs across five matches, cementing his reputation as a rising star.
Apart from Atal, the Dubai Capitals also signed Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the next ILT20 season. Rahman, who has been associated with the Delhi side across three years in the IPL (2022, 2023, 2025), will replace Luke Wood.
Rahman will also hope to make his performances count and get on the IPL 2026 retention list of Delhi Capitals ahead of the mini-auction later this year.