Three teams, including Shahid Afridi's team 'Jammu Janbaz', have been eliminated from the group stage of the second season of the Kashmir Premier League. Four teams will compete in the play-off stage starting today.
The first round of the ongoing Kashmir Premier League (KPL) in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, has concluded with four of the seven teams that participated in the group stage entering the play-offs.
The three teams that have been kicked out of the league include the first season's champion 'Rawalakot Hawks' and the runner-up 'Muzaffarabad Tigers' and this year's new entrant 'Jammu Jambaz'. Shahid Afridi was a part of the 'Jammu Janbaz' squad, but he did not play in any match except the opening match, much to the disappointment of his fans. Kashmir Premier League Chairman Arif Malik had announced before the start of the league that star player Shahid Afridi will probably play the last innings of his career this season. This is the reason why in all the six group matches of 'Jammu Janbaz', a large number of fans were present in the stadium just to watch Shahid Afridi play, but Shahid Afridi did not appear in any of the matches except one.
Bilal Raqib Abbasi, a young man who came to Muzaffarabad from Islamabad to watch the match, told Independent Urdu that he had specifically come to see Shahid Khan Afridi. "We have come to see his sixes, fours, his batting, but coming here was very disappointed that Shahid Khan Afridi is not here!" Thousands of people like me have come here who are his fans. People want to see them. But he did not play in any match except one match.
Shahid Bashir Paracha, a resident of Garhi Dupta, has also come to the stadium many times to watch Shahid Afridi's batting and bowling, but every time he faced disappointment. Shahid Bashir says: 'I have seen him play many times on TV, but watching him play live is a different experience. We want to see them play, but they never enter the field in any match. In all the matches of 'Jammu Janbaaz', Shahid Afridi's fans kept raising placards and chanting slogans demanding that he be removed from the field. Saeedullah from Gilgit is also among the spectators. He says that he came from Gilgit especially to watch KPL matches and Shahid Afridi's batting. Now I don't know if they are unfit or why they are not playing anymore.
The issue of Shahid Afridi not playing in the field despite joining the team was also raised several times in the local media. According to Ghulam Hussain Shahid, chairman of 'Jammu Janbaz', the team management also wanted them to play the match, but they decided to give a chance to new and young players. Earlier, Shahid Afridi has also said in response to a question that he intended to play the entire season of KPL, but according to Afridi: "There are young players who play better, especially young Kashmiri players." Therefore, I decided that he should get a proper opportunity in my place so that his talent can also be exposed to the world.
The second and final phase of the second season of KPL starts today and in this phase four teams are now in the race to win the final. Among them, 'Mirpur Royals' and 'Bagh Stallions' will play qualifiers while 'Overseas Warriors' and 'Kotli Lions' will play eliminator matches. In the last match of the group matches, Kotli Lions not only improved their run rate by beating season one champions Rawlakot Hawks by 10 wickets, but also beat Rawlakot Hawks, Muzaffarabad Tigers and Jammu. Pushing out the 'Janbaaz' from last place to make it to the play-off stage. The final match of KPL will be played at Jalalabad Cricket Stadium Muzaffarabad on August 26 at 7 pm.
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