Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi will be playing for the Kandy Royals in the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 season. PCB gave the left-arm seamer the No Objection Certificate for the upcoming tournament, which begins on 17th July. Former Sri Lankan star Angelo Mathews will lead the Kandy team.
The first match of the tournament will be played between Jaffna Kings and Galle Gallants at the SSC Cricket Ground in Colombo. Royals will begin their campaign the next day when they face off against Dambulla Sixers at the same venue. Afridi was a late signing by the team ahead of the season, and they took to their social media account to confirm the news.
The left-arm seamer is not part of the Test squad that is set to tour West Indies under Babar Azam’s captaincy. The 31-year-old was given the job back after Shan Masood’s failure as the captain of the side. Mohmmad Abbas, Ubaid Shah, Mohammad Ali, and Khurram Shahzad are the other pacers in the squad.
Vijay Shankar set to make his Lanka Premier League debut
Meanwhile, former Indian cricket player Vijay Shankar is also part of the upcoming league. The 35-year-old retired from all forms of the sport to explore other cricketing opportunities. Shankar is also part of the Kandy side and will share the dressing room with the Pakistani seamer.
Other notable players in the side are former RCB the duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Nuwan Thushara, as well as Lankan ace Kusal Perera. Former skipper Dasun Shanaka will lead Galle Gallants, and the franchise has names like Charith Asalanka and SRH bowling ace Eshan Malinga.
KKR bowler Matheesha Pathirana is not part of the tournament after suffering a new injury blow while playing in the IPL 2026 season. It is to be noted that the league wasn’t played in 2025 and Jaffna Kings are the current title holders, having won the tournament in 2024.
A total of 20 league matches will be played in the tournament, with two playoff matches to be held on 5th August. The second playoff will be played on the seventh, followed by the final on 8th August 2026.
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