Shaheen Afridi, the premier pace bowler for Pakistan, abruptly left his responsibilities midway through a foreign local cricket event and came home on August 1.
After playing six games for the Kandy Royals in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026, Shaheen Afridi is said to have ended his season.
For personal reasons, Shaheen Afridi departs LPL 2026.
According to accounts, Afridi left the LPL 2026 midway because to personal issues; his final game was on July 30 against the Jaffna Kings. The only explanation given for the shocking news was that Shaheen had to return to Pakistan right away due to personal problems that occurred during the competition.
For those who don’t know, Afridi was somewhat costly, giving up runs at an economy rate of 10.18 and a strike rate of 18.00 while taking just seven wickets in six innings during the competition.
On July 26, he delivered statistics of 3 for 27 against the Jaffna Kings, which was his sole successful bowling performance. His other noteworthy spell came against the Colombo Kaps, where he took 2 for 34.
He was costly overall throughout the competition, and the Kandy Royals even purposefully avoided passing the ball to him in certain situations.
After his LPL team, the Kandy Royals, allegedly refused to include him in the starting lineup, Shaheen Afridi turned to the Anti-Corruption Unit for assistance on July 25.
LPL 2026 has already been plagued by controversy, with Manjot Kalra, a former co-owner of the Jaffna Kings, under investigation for possible match-fixing. Additionally, Afridi became embroiled in a case with the Anti-Corruption Unit, which reportedly disturbed him because he had intended to return home much sooner.
On July 25, after allegedly promising to employ him as an impact player, franchise officials allegedly left him out of the starting lineup while placing the responsibility on the match analysts. Shaheen reportedly became enraged at this, but the team management eventually convinced him to stay.
Afridi, however, has already entirely left the LPL 2026. It’s unclear if he left for personal reasons alone or if the alleged match-fixing scandal has anything to do with it.
As of right moment, his departure has only been verified for personal reasons. He represented the Kandy Royals, a team that is currently having trouble in the standings. With three victories and five defeats from eight games, the Royals are ranked fourth in the five-team competition.
How many stints did Afridi play for international franchise cricket teams?
This season, Shaheen Afridi made his Lanka Premier League debut with the Kandy Royals. Prior to this season, he had never played in the league. But in other international domestic leagues, such the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the Big Bash League (BBL), the ILT20, The Hundred, the Vitality Blast, and more, he has performed admirably.
Since 2017, Afridi has represented the Lahore Qalandars on Pakistan’s domestic franchise circuit. With an economy rate of 7.96 and an average of 20.06, he has now taken 138 wickets for the team in 94 games.
Shaheen Afridi is currently in a precarious situation as Pakistan is scheduled to play the second Test match against the West Indies on August 2. He currently has little to look forward to in terms of domestic or international cricket, having also not been included in Pakistan’s squad for the 2026 England tour.
