Pakistan ODI captain Shahid Afridi will lead one of the provinces in SLPL (Sri Lanka Premier League). The SLPL will be giving chance to Pakistani cricketers after they were ignored by the lucrative IPL since the inaugural edition in 2008. Afridi has signed a three-year contract, worth US$35,000 (he was given US$ 675000 in IPL) for the first season of the SLPL, with the amount doubling in 2012. He is expected to be joined by Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul and Umar Akmal.
The SLPL will be a seven-team inter-provincial tournament, which will be played in July-August for almost 20 days. The seven teams will play with each other once, and than the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals. All the matches will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the winner of the tournament will qualify for the Champions League Twenty20.
Other international players who will be featuring in SLPL are Chris Gayle, Daniel Vettori, Kieron Pollard, Herschelle Gibbs and Ireland World Cup hero Kevin O’Brien.