Shahid Afridi missed his flight to Colombo on Monday to participate in the Lanka Premier League will be played in Hambantota between November 26 to December 16. Meanwhile, Galle Gladiators was brought by eminent Pakistan businessman Nadeem Omar who also owns the popular Quetta Gladiators franchise in the Pakistan Super League. Initially, Sarfaraz Ahmed was supposed to lead the team but Afridi was named the skipper after Sarfaraz pulled out of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the LPL was postponed several times due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Initially, the LPL was set to take place between August 28 to September 20 but was postponed due to the constantly increasing threat of the virus.
Afridi took to Twitter to inform about the same to his fans. “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,” Afridi wrote.
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
However, the move, unfortunately, backfired for Shahid Afridi as he was trolled on Twitter after the news of him missing the flight became viral.
Meanwhile. Afridi who will be leading the Galle Gladiators in the tournament Afridi will have to undergo a three-day isolated quarantine in order to enter the tournament’s bio-secure bubble after he reaches the island nation.
Meanwhile, some big names have pulled out from the LPL even before the tournament started. Chris Gayle, Faf de Plessis, Liam Plunkett, David Malan, Lasith Malinga, Kamran Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez and Sarfaraz withdrew from the event because of varied reasons.
Also Read: Shahid Afridi To Lead Galle Gladiators in Inaugural Lanka Premier League
Meanwhile, the reputed names who will be participating in the tournament include Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Aamir, Ehsan Ali, Azam Khan, Usman Shinwari and Shoaib Malik.
Sri Lanks’s most influential T20 player Lasith Malinga has also pulled out of the tournament citing less preparation time. In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Malinga said that he did not play enough cricket in the last six months and thus the preparation time given to him is not enough he feels.
Five sides named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna will take part in the tournament.
Shahid Afridi Trolled On Twitter For Missing Flight To Colombo For LPL
Also Read: Big Names Pull Out From Lanka Premier League