Shaheen Shah Afridi will play for Kandy Royals in the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL), set to begin on July 17. The Pakistan pacer, who is signed in the Gold category, will be making his debut in the league as he replaces Daniel Sams, who has withdrawn from the league.
Shaheen sidelined from Pakistan’s Test squad
Shaheen was earlier left out of Pakistan’s two-match Test series against West Indies, which begins on July 25 and will overlap with the LPL, which will be played from July 17 to August 8. He is also not part of the Lahore Qalandars’ Global Super League squad, with scheduling conflict the likely reason behind the omission.
Shaheen’s appearance in franchise leagues has been limited over the past couple of years. Besides the Pakistan Super League and the Big Bash League, he had not played in any league since early 2025, largely due to injuries, workload management and a busy schedule.
Pakistan players in LPL
Shaheen had not registered himself for the LPL draft, where a total of 120 Pakistani players signed up, the most by any full-member nation.
He could join Sahibzada Farhan, who was signed as an Icon player by Dambulla Sixers ahead of the draft, as well as Mohammad Nawaz, Akif Javed, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Mohammad Haris and Shahnawaz Dahani, all of whom were picked up in the draft.
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