LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi appointed captain of Galle Gladiators

COLOMBO: Boom boom Shahid Afridi on Saturday was appointed as the captain of Galle Gladiators replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed in Lanka Premier League in the 2020 edition, according to a press statement.

In the statement, Gladiators announced that the former Pakistani skipper will be leading the side in the first edition of the league which will be played from November 26 to December 16 in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.

The T20 star will be assisted by local player Bhanuka Rajapaksa as the Vice-Captain in the tournament.

Afridi replaced Sarfraz Ahmed who was supposed to lead the side initially. The wicket-keeper batsman withdrew from the tournament to fulfil his national duty in series against New Zealand.

Nadeem Omar, Galle Gladiators’ owner, was happy with the team’s decision of appointing the 40-year-old as the new captain. “Afridi is a global superstar and a great leader thus he is the perfect choice to lead Galle Gladiators in LPL,” he said.

“I believe Afridi’s experience will be great for all our foreign players and local Sri Lankan guys. I trust that he will be able to help us fight for the title and win it,” Omar added.

Gladiators have replaced Sarfaraz Ahmad with young Pakistan batsman Ahsan Ali while West Indian batsman Chadwick Walton has come in as a replacement of South African Colin Ingram, who went to play Big Bash.

The team will play their first match on November 27 against Jaffna Stallions.