Overview
- The incident, which unfolded Saturday, began when Kandy Royals told Afridi he would play as their nominated 'impact player' but his name was not on the official team sheet exchanged with the match referee.
- Afridi reported the omission to the Lanka Premier League's Anti‑Corruption Unit and the match referee and briefly prepared to leave Sri Lanka before franchise officials and organisers apologised and persuaded him to stay.
- The LPL said the problem was an incorrect team sheet submitted to match officials, and Kandy management has blamed an analyst's error for the omission that legally barred late inclusion under the impact‑player rule.
- Afridi remained in the tournament and played in subsequent matches, recording bowling figures reported as 1/41, 2/34 and 1/32, which organisers cited when confirming he continued after the apology.
- The episode comes after the arrest and ownership revocation linked to Jaffna Kings and has intensified scrutiny of the LPL's governance, player trust and commercial standing, with potential effects on sponsor confidence and future overseas participation.