Johnson Charles — Wicketkeeper-batter
Johnson Charles is Akcel United Kabul’s Platinum pick for APL 2026-27 — a two-time T20 World Cup winner with West Indies, the Caribbean Premier League’s all-time leading run-scorer, and one of the few overseas players returning from the first APL season in 2018.
Charles was taken fourth among the five Platinum players at the draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026, and second for Kabul — the franchise’s statement signing. He keeps wicket and opens the batting, and he does both at full tilt: his 118 off 39 balls remains the fastest T20I century by a West Indian, and his 3,519 CPL runs are more than anyone has ever scored in that league.
He is also one of the few overseas players in this squad who knows the APL. He played the first season in 2018 and scored 131 runs in eight matches — a modest return that says more about a young league finding its feet than about the batter. Eight years on he arrives with two T20 World Cup winner’s medals and a decade of franchise cricket behind him, and Kabul will want the opener, not the memory.
What he gives the side is certainty at the top. Charles has opened in leagues around the world and behind the stumps he lets Kabul carry a specialist keeper-batter rather than a part-timer. Born in Castries, St Lucia, on 14 January 1989, he is the oldest overseas name in the squad — and the one whose job is clearest: give Kabul fast starts, and let the middle order play around him.
APL 2026-27 in numbers
The season has not started yet, so Johnson Charles has no APL 2026-27 numbers at all. The first ball is on Sunday 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (5:00 PM Dubai time) in the UAE, and this page will carry his season figures from Match 1 onwards. Until then, the table below is honest: played 0, and everything else to be announced.
| Matches | Runs | Wickets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| APL 2026-27 | 0 | — | — |
What he brings into the season, in verified figures:
| Career mark | Figure |
|---|---|
| CPL runs | 3,519 (all-time leading scorer) |
| Fastest T20I century | 118 off 39 balls |
| APL 2018 runs | 131 in 8 matches |
| T20 World Cups won | 2 (West Indies) |
Season figures are to be announced — the season starts on 27 December 2026. Career figures are from the verified player record.
Where he fits at Akcel United Kabul
Johnson Charles plays for Akcel United Kabul in APL 2026-27, captained by Azmatullah Omarzai and coached by Shane McDermott, with Nikhil Chopra as mentor. The squad of nineteen was set at the draft in Dubai on 3 November 2026 — 90 players picked from 462 across 18 rounds.
Charles opens the batting and keeps wicket, so he shapes Kabul’s first six overs and its work behind the stumps. With D’Arcy Short and Hazratullah Zazai, he forms a top three with power on both sides of the wicket — and if one of them fires, Kabul’s middle order can play with freedom. The season starts on Sunday 27 December 2026 in the UAE; APL T20 will follow every Kabul match, with fixtures on the APL Schedule and the standings on the APL Points Table. The full squad is on the APL Players page.
Five teams chase four playoff places in a double round-robin, so every team plays eight league matches — each opponent twice — and one side goes home after the league stage. The final is on Wednesday 20 January 2027. Kabul are a new club with no APL record yet, and that is the point: everything this squad does in 2026-27 will be a first.
Frequently asked questions
What is Johnson Charles’s role at Akcel United Kabul?
Wicketkeeper-batter. He opens the batting and keeps wicket, and he was Kabul’s Platinum pick at the 3 November 2026 draft in Dubai.
Has Johnson Charles played in the APL before?
Yes. He played the first APL season in 2018 and scored 131 runs in eight matches. He is one of the few overseas players in this squad returning from that season.
What are Johnson Charles’s biggest achievements?
Two T20 World Cups with West Indies, the CPL’s all-time leading run-scorer with 3,519 runs, and the fastest T20I century by a West Indian — 118 off 39 balls.