The former captain of Pakistan, Shahid Afridi, is no stranger to controversy. Numerous times, he has made headlines for the very wrong reasons. On Thursday (July 7), the former all-rounder for Pakistan made yet another contentious declaration when he claimed that he had made fun of the BCCI, the governing body of Indian cricket, by telling them that the second iteration of the Kashmir Premier League will be held.
7 teams compete in the KPL, which was just introduced last year. The league also features notable Pakistani-born athletes, such as Afridi. Even still, the ICC has not acknowledged the competition. The competition is not subject to the ICC’s jurisdiction as it is not an international cricket tournament, an ICC official made clear in a 2017 interview with Geo TV.
The BCCI has expressed displeasure with the tournament’s location in Pakistan. occupied Muzaffarabad in Kashmir, an area that is open for debate between India and Pakistan. Herschelle Gibbs, a former South African cricketer, said the BCCI had pressured him to withdraw from the contentious league last year.
It was absolutely unnecessary, according to Gibbs, for the BCCI to “bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the picture and try to block me from playing in the KPL,” he stated in a tweet. Additionally, they threatened to deny me admission to India if I did any work relating to cricket. Ludicrous’.
Pakistan Cricket Board authorized the KPL, and they criticized BCCI for pressuring players to play in the KPL. They even advised BCCI to bring the issue up with ICC.
As the second installment of the aforementioned league is about to begin, Afridi has once more sparked controversy. According to a report, he was asked whether he had any advice for the BCCI, which is accused of interfering with the KPL’s operations last year, at a news appearance. “KPL 2 is occurring,” Afridi responded, “that is my sole message to BCCI.”
Not to mention, Afridi has expressed his views on Kashmir and even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past. The world is afflicted with a severe sickness, but Modi’s heart and mind are far more harmful, he once warned.
He went to the LoC in 2020 as well to demonstrate his “solidarity with the Kashmiris.” Following the government of India’s decision to repeal Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, this occurred.
Afridi’s message to BCCI: Kashmir Premier League will happen in POK
