Shahid Afridi turns down Knight Riders' offer to play CPL Playoffs

Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has turned down the offer to play in the playoffs of the ongoing edition of the Caribbean Premier League. Afridi was offered to be a part of the playoffs by the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team Trinbago Knight Riders. The TBR have been the team to beat in the competition this year. The Knight Riders have already won the coveted title once and are looking good for their second championship win.

They became the first team to march into the playoffs by topping the points table and securing themselves a couple of shots at the final. Trinbago Knight Riders will take on either Jamaica Tallawahs or St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Qualifier 1 of the tournament. The Qualifier 1 will be played on September 5 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. If they win the Qualifier 1, they will storm into the finals.

In case they lose the game, they will take on the winner of the Eliminator in the Qualifier 2. Amidst this situation, the TKR had approached Shahid Afridi to turn up for them in the playoffs. Afridi took to micro blogging site Twitter to announce that he will not be taking part in CPL this year. He thanked the Knight Riders management for having invited him for the competition. But Afridi conceded that he will be unable to oblige since he has prior commitments.

Talking about the on-field form, Shahid Afridi has had a tricky time in the recent times. He represented Hampshire in the recently concluded NatWest T20 Blast. In the quarterfinals against Derbyshire, Afridi bludgeoned his maiden T20 ton. His ton had come off just 43 balls.

However, in the very next game – the all important semi-final against the Nottinghamshire – Afridi was sent packing for a golden duck by Samit Patel on the very first ball of the match. Hampshire lost the semis to the Notts by 23 runs and that ended the campaign for Afridi as well.

“Thank u team TKR for the offer to play CPL playoffs. Unfortunately won’t be able to play due to prior committments. Good luck!” tweeted Shahid Afridi.

Thank u team TKR for the offer to play CPL playoffs. Unfortunately won't be able to play due to prior committments. Good luck!

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 3, 2017