The Andhra Premier League returns for its fifth season from August 8 to 23, 2026, with seven teams competing for the title. Defending champions Vizag Warriors will be aiming to retain their crown, but they face strong competition from across the league. 

The captaincy lineup is arguably the strongest in the tournament’s history, featuring experienced names such as Hanuma Vihari, Nitish Kumar Reddy, KS Bharat, and Ricky Bhui. 

Their presence adds extra quality and leadership to an already competitive field. Each squad combines established domestic performers with promising young talent fraom Andhra Pradesh. With a playoff spot at stake and little room for error, every league-stage match could prove crucial. Here’s a complete look at all seven APL 2026 squads.

APL 2026 Teams And Captains

Seven franchises represent different regions of Andhra Pradesh, each led by a captain with proven credentials at domestic or international level.

Amaravati Royals

Hanuma Vihari captaining a T20 side is an interesting one. He’s built his reputation as a Test specialist, but his experience reading match situations and steadying innings could be exactly what a franchise league needs. 

The squad around him has a nice mix of pace and spin options, and with Karan Shinde and Bandaru Ayyappa providing batting support, the Royals look like a side that’ll be hard to push around.

Squad: Hanuma Vihari (c), Karan Shinde, Bandaru Ayyappa, B Vinay Kumar, SDNV Prasad, SV Rahul, Yara Sandeep, Pandu Rangaraju, Gulfaam Saleh, SMD Rafi, G Mallikarjuna, Atchut Hemanth, AV Vijay, B Santosh Kumar, B Yaswanth, V Jayanth Sai, G Adarsh, C Srihith, K Durgesh Kumar, KT Ram Kumar

Bhimavaram Bulls

This is the squad everyone’s watching. Nitish Kumar Reddy captaining the Bulls after his breakout performances for India gives Bhimavaram genuine star power and all-round ability that few other teams can match. 

He can bat at any position in the top six and bowl useful medium pace. Satyanarayana Raju and Hari Shankar Reddy bring experience, while the likes of Sai Sravan and Munish Varma add depth across departments. The Bulls feel like pre-tournament favourites on paper.

Squad: Nitish Kumar Reddy (c), Satyanarayana Raju, Hari Shankar Reddy, Hemanth Reddy, Pinniti Tejaswi, Munish Varma, Sai Sravan, T Vamsi Krishna, M Yuvan, B Satvik, K Revanth Reddy, Sai Surya Teja Reddy, CH Shiva, Sasank Srivats, C Raviteja, N Himakar, Kashyap Prakash, P Bhuvaneswar Rao, Bhaswanth Krishna, J Vishnu Datta

Kakinada Kings

KS Bharat’s wicketkeeping and middle-order batting anchor this squad. He knows Andhra cricket inside out having represented the state for over a decade, and his leadership carries weight in the dressing room. 

P Tapaswi and K Sudharsan provide batting options around him, and the bowling unit has enough variety to compete across different surfaces. The Kings tend to be a side that builds through the tournament rather than peaking early, so don’t write them off based on first impressions.

Squad: KS Bharat (c), P Tapaswi, K Sudharsan, M Anjaneyulu, Shaik Kamaruddin, M Lekhaz Reddy, Yarragunta Pramod, C Varun Teja Reddy, P Manikanta Gangadhar, KSS Jayanth, AV Surya, ANV Lohith, S Bhargav Mahesh, KN Prudhvi Raj, SH Srinivas, M Ravikiran, P Arjun Tendulkar, KP Sai Rahul, G Manish

Royals of Rayalaseema

Shaik Rasheed captains a squad that’s still being finalised with further additions expected before the tournament starts. From what’s been announced so far, Paila Avinash and P Girinath Reddy give the Royals solid batting options, while J Saketh Ram and S Ashish round out the early selections. 

Rayalaseema are one of the historically successful franchises in the APL, having won the title in a previous edition, and they’ll be looking to add to that legacy once the full squad is confirmed.

Squad (announced so far): Shaik Rasheed (c), Paila Avinash, P Girinath Reddy, DB Prashanth Kumar, J Saketh Ram, S Ashish (further players to be announced)

Simhadri Vizag Lions

Ricky Bhui is one of those players who always delivers at domestic level but never quite got the extended international run he deserved. His captaincy of the Vizag Lions puts him in charge of a squad loaded with young talent. 

Yuvaraju Merapala and Abhishek M Reddy bring batting depth, while Dhanush Marthala and the pace contingent give the Lions bowling options that should suit most conditions. This is a squad that could surprise a few teams if things click early.

Squad: Ricky Bhui (c), Yuvaraju Merapala, Abhishek M Reddy, Dhanush Marthala, Haneesh Veera Reddy Kogatam, Roshan Pavan Kumar Patiwada, Sai Sandeep Kumar Chennuboina, Satyanarayana Swamy Naidu Gandham, Yeswanth Bailapudi, Saiteja Kavuri, Kaldhi Ajay Kumar, Girish Kumar Reddy Yeddala, Ranjeet Darji, Dharani Kumar Naidu Ellutla, Sai Sriram Devandla Venkata, Harsha Vardhan Myla, Mohammed Kamil Shaik, Pradhneesh Sai Vattikulla, Dheeraj Lakshman Kothakoona, Vijay Thripurana

Tungabhadra Warriors

Maheep Kumar leads a side from the Kurnool region that’s still building its squad for the fifth edition. CH Stephen and KV Sasikanth are among the early confirmed names alongside Sourabh Kumar, and there’s a core group that knows what APL cricket demands. 

The Warriors will be hoping their remaining auction picks and squad additions fill the gaps before August, because on current numbers they’re a team that needs reinforcements to compete with the more established franchises.

Squad (announced so far): K Maheep Kumar (c), CH Stephen, KV Sasikanth, Sourabh Kumar, CR Gnaneshwar, J Rohit (further players to be announced)

Vijayawada Sunshiners

Ashwin Hebbar brings Karnataka Premier League and IPL experience to the Vijayawada captaincy, and his aggressive left-handed batting at the top of the order gives the Sunshiners a genuine match-winner in the powerplay. 

The squad is still being finalised with Y Prithvi Raj, M Dheeraj Kumar, and M Vamsi Krishna among the early selections. Backed by Mythri Movie Makers, the Sunshiners have the resources and ambition to build a squad capable of challenging for the title once the remaining picks are confirmed.

Squad (announced so far): Ashwin Hebbar (c), Y Prithvi Raj, M Dheeraj Kumar, M Vamsi Krishna, A Lalith Mohan, V Vasu, KSN Raju (further players to be announced)

Three different teams have won the APL across four editions. Coastal Riders, Rayalaseema Kings, and Vizag Warriors each hold one title. That kind of parity across previous seasons suggests no team has managed to build a dynasty yet, which keeps the tournament genuinely open heading into Season 5.

Seven Teams, Four India Internationals, And Andhra’s Biggest T20 Stage

The Andhra Premier League has grown into one of the most competitive state-level T20 tournaments in India, and the fifth edition looks set to raise the standard even further. 

Having Hanuma Vihari, Nitish Kumar Reddy, KS Bharat, and Ricky Bhui leading four of the seven franchises gives the league a credibility that most domestic T20 competitions struggle to match. 

Bhimavaram Bulls under Nitish Kumar Reddy look the strongest on paper, but the beauty of a seven-team round-robin is that any side can build momentum and peak at the right time. 

The APL runs from August 8 to 23, and with three of the seven squads still being finalised, there’s plenty more to come before the first ball is bowled.