Galle Gladiators have appointed former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi as their captain and domestic talent Bhanuka Rajapaksa as his deputy for the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL). Taking to Twitter the franchise wrote, "#GalleGladiators name superstar @SAfridiOfficial as captain, #BhanukaRajapaksa as vice-captain." Afridi last featured in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League play-offs. He scalped three wickets and scored 12 runs in two games for Multan Sultans. The tournament will adopt a zero-tolerance policy against any wrongdoing, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Saturday.
Sri Lanka Cricket's Anti-Corruption Unit (SLC ACU) in collaboration with the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit (ICC ACU) is administering the anti-corruption initiatives at the LPL 2020, and relevant officials will be present and vigilant at every match, event and, official functions throughout the tournament at the venue and the hotel.
The participants, (players and officials) of the league are obliged to report any corrupt approaches, as and when it happens to the Anti-Corruption Managers (ACMs) appointed for the LPL, and such reports will be dealt with strict confidentiality by the Anti-Corruption Unit in place.
LPL's inaugural season will start next week despite star players including Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga and others have pulled out of the tournament. In the LPL, five franchisee teams, named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla, and Jaffna will compete in 23 matches.
Colombo will take on Kandy in the opening match of LPL at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota on November 26.
Every day there will be doubleheaders till the semi-finals on December 13 and 14. The final will be played on December 16.