Shaheen Afridi quitting LPL after Complaint to Anti-Corruption Unit?

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka Premier League (LPL) has been rocked by fresh controversy after Pakistan T20 captain Shaheen Shah Afridi reportedly approached the tournament’s Anti-Corruption Unit over his unexpected exclusion from a match, triggering concerns inside the league camp.

The speedster was left furious after being informed that he would not feature as a regular player for Kandy Royals against Colombo Capitals. The incident reportedly escalated to the point where Shaheen considered leaving the tournament and returning to Pakistan.

The franchise officials and LPL authorities later stepped in, apologized over the situation, and managed to convince the Pakistan captain to remain part of the competition. The controversy unfolded when Kandy Royals’ management allegedly informed Shaheen before the match that he would be used as an “Impact Player”, a rule taken from Indian Premier League (IPL), allowing teams to replace a player during the game with a designated substitute.

But during Kandy Royals’ innings, the team’s coach reportedly admitted that a mistake by the team analyst resulted in Shaheen’s name not being included in the official Impact Player list submitted for the match.

The error sparked frustration from Pakistan pacer, who questioned the situation and informed an Anti-Corruption Unit official about the matter. Sources claim Shaheen then decided to leave for Pakistan before match officials, team management, and league authorities intervened.

The controversy comes at sensitive time for the LPL, which has already faced turbulence before the tournament began. Reports revealed that Jaffna Kings owner Manjot Karla was arrested by Sri Lanka’s Special Investigation Unit over alleged match-fixing links, following which the organizers withdrew the franchise ownership rights and Sri Lanka Cricket along with the league management took control of the team’s affairs.

Afridi has been one of the key international names in the tournament. In his opening game, the left-arm pacer conceded 41 runs while taking one wicket. He then claimed two wickets for 34 runs in the second match and picked up one wicket after conceding 32 runs in the third game.

The latest match, however, saw him missing from the playing XI, leading to questions over the unusual team-sheet confusion.

Several other Pakistani players are also featuring in the LPL, including Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Wasim Jr., and Aaqib Javed, while Pakistani umpire Asif Yaqoob is also officiating in the tournament.

Amid the buzz online, LPL spokesperson attempted to clarify the situation, saying that the issue involving Shaheen Afridi occurred due to an incorrect team sheet submitted to the match referee, describing it as an administrative error rather than any deliberate action.