Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi is all set to lead the Galle Gladiators in the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2020). Earlier, the chances were low as Afridi missed his flight. It was speculated that the player might miss one or two games of the league.
However, Bhanuka Rajapaksa was all set to lead the franchise in Afridi’s absence. Originally, he has been chosen as a vice-captain. As Afridi is available now reaching the destined value at his earliest, there is no requirement for Bhanuka’s services.
Notably, Gladiators are going to play their first game of the league against the Jaffna Stallions as the opening match was played between the Colombo Kings and the Kandy Tuskers.
LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi to lead Galle Gladiators in the first match
Squads:
Galle Gladiators
Shahid Afridi, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Amir, Danushka Gunatilleka, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Akila Dananjaya, Milinda Siriwardena, Azam Khan, Lakshan Sandakan, Shehan Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Mohammed Shiraz, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Chanaka Ruwansiri, Sahan Arachchi, Duvindu Tillakaratne, Chadwick Walton, Ashan Ali, Abdul Nasir, Waqas Maqsood
Jaffna Stallions
Thisara Perera, Johnson Charles, Wanidu Hasaranga, Shoaib Malik, Usman Shinwari, Avishka Fernando, Dananjaya de Silva, Suranga Lakmal, Binura Fernando, Minod Bhanuka, Chathuranga de Silva, Mahesh Theekshana, Charith Asalanka, Nuwandinu Fernando, Kanakaratnam Kapilraj, Thevendiram Dinoshan, Vijayakanth Vijayakanth, Kyle Abbott, Duanne Olivier, Tom Moores, Prabhath Jayasuriya, Sebastianpillai Vijeyaraj
Notably, six Pakistanis, Shahid Afridi, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Amir, Azam Khan, Abdul Nasir, and, Ahsan Ali are parts of the Nadeem Omar owning franchise whereas, Stallions have got only Shoaib Malik and Usman Shinwari from Pakistan.
