Shaheen Afridi Walks Out Of LPL 2026 Amid Fixing Row
In a major step, Pakistan’s fast bowling standout Shaheen Afridi has withdrawn from a foreign domestic cricket league and returned to Pakistan on August 1.
Shaheen Afridi, who was playing for Kandy Royals in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026, has reportedly quit his season after six matches.
Shaheen Afridi departs LPL 2026 for personal reasons.
According to sources, Afridi stated personal reasons for leaving LPL 2026 midway, with his last match against the Jaffna Kings on July 30. The surprising news occurred due to personal circumstances that Shaheen encountered during the event, requiring him to return to Pakistan quickly.
For the uninitiated, Afridi got only seven wickets from six innings during the competition while being somewhat pricey, giving runs at an economy rate of 10.18 and a strike rate of 18.00.
His first effective bowling performance came on July 26 against the Jaffna Kings, where he took 3 for 27, and his other memorable session came against the Colombo Kaps, where he took 2 for 34.
Overall, he was pricey throughout the competition, and there were times when Kandy Royals purposefully avoided giving him the ball.
On July 25, Shaheen Afridi approached the Anti-Corruption Unit after his LPL team, the Kandy Royals, allegedly refused him a spot in the playing XI.
Controversies have already marred LPL 2026, with former Jaffna Kings co-owner Manjot Kalra under fire for alleged match-fixing. Afridi was also embroiled in an Anti-Corruption Unit case, in which he was upset and had intended to return home much earlier.
On July 25, franchise officials allegedly agreed to employ him as an impact player but then left him out of the playing XI, blaming the match analysts. This apparently infuriated Shaheen, but club management eventually persuaded him to stay.
However, Afridi has now departed the LPL 2026 entirely. It is unclear whether his departure was entirely for personal reasons or was related to the alleged match-fixing controversy.
For the time being, his exit has only been confirmed for personal reasons. Meanwhile, the Kandy Royals, the franchise he represented, are floundering in the points standings. The Royals are fourth in the five-team tournament, having won three and lost five of their eight matches.
How many stints did Afridi have for franchise cricket around the world?
Shaheen Afridi had never played in the Lanka Premier League before this season, therefore LPL 2026 marks his debut with the Kandy Royals.
He has, however, been a consistent performer in other international domestic leagues, like the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the Big Bash League (BBL), the ILT20, The Hundred, the Vitality Blast, and more.
Afridi has been with the Lahore Qalandars on Pakistan’s domestic franchise circuit since 2017. He has already taken 138 wickets in 94 outings for the team, averaging 20.06 with an economy rate of 7.96.
With Pakistan scheduled to play the second Test against the West Indies on August 2, Shaheen Afridi is currently in limbo. He has also been left out of Pakistan’s selection for the 2026 England tour, thus he has little to look forward to in terms of international or domestic cricket.
