Why will Shahid Afridi miss first two LPL 2020 matches for Galle Gladiators?

Shahid Afridi: The former Pakistani captain is slated to take up the leadership role in the upcoming season of Lanka Premier League.

Despite multiple delays due to several reasons, the inaugural season of the Lanka Premier League is all set to begin from November 26 in Sooriyawewa stadium, near Hambantota.

In what will be Sri Lanka’s first T20 league since 2012, the tournament is being looked forward to for many reasons. As far as the Sri Lankan players are concerned, LPL 2020 will provide them with ample opportunities to rub shoulders with some tried and tested names of the T20 format.

ALSO READ: Why is Galle Gladiators’ Lasith Malinga not playing LPL 2020?

Given how all countries have benefited from conducting their own annual T20 competitions, Lanka Premier League should be able to unearth talented players who might aid Sri Lanka’s campaigns in the upcoming two ICC T20 World Cups.

Why will Shahid Afridi miss first two LPL 2020 matches for Galle Gladiators?

LPL 2020, however, has received a bit of a blow a couple of days before its start. Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who is slated to lead Galle Gladiators in LPL 2020, is all but highly likely to miss the first two matches of the tournament after missing his flight to Sri Lanka on Monday.

Afridi, 40, took to social media platform Twitter to make the development public. While Afridi has ensured his fans to not worry and hoped to reach Sri Lanka “soon”, one believes he still will have to miss at least a couple of matches this season.

Missed my flight to Colombo today morning 😕
Nothing to worry, I’ll be reaching soon to take part in the LPL for Galle Gladiators. Look forward to joining my teammates

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) November 23, 2020

It is worth mentioning that the same has been confirmed by Gladiators who hope for Afridi to reach Sri Lanka by Wednesday. Even if that happens, Afridi will have to undergo a three-day mandatory quarantine period according to the bio-bubble protocol for the tournament.

Afridi, whose last competitive match happened a fortnight ago in the Pakistan Super League, will subsequently undergo a less-strict quarantine before joining the squad.

Galle, who are scheduled to play their first match against Jaffna Stallions on November 27, will take the field under the leadership of their vice-captain in Bhanuka Rajapaksa.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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