T10 League 2020/21: Qalandars name Shahid Afridi as their icon player for Season 4 

The fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League will begin next month. A few franchises have announced their retained players and new signings earlier this week. The Qalandars have now declared Shahid Afridi as their icon player for the upcoming tournament.

It is pertinent to note the Qalandars also signed Shahid Afridi last year. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board revoked their players' NOCs at the last moment and Afridi could not play in the T10 League.

Nevertheless, after a brilliant performance in the Lanka Premier League, Shahid Afridi will be in action for the Qalandars next month.

Co-partner Saleem Karsaz is very excited to become a part of the #Qalandars family & signing of @SAfridiOfficial as Icon Player for Abu Dhabi T10 League! 😍 Here's a shout out from him to all the Qalandars fans!#DamaDamMast #MainHoonQalandar #Dilse pic.twitter.com/ursDigSHZB

— Qalandars (@QalandarsT10) December 19, 2020

Shahid Afridi is an exciting and experienced cricketer: Qalandars CEO

Qalandars CEO Sameen Rana announced Shahid Afridi signing for the team in a brief interview. The franchise shared the clip on Twitter, where Rana expressed his delight over Afridi joining the team.

"Shahid Afridi is an exciting and experienced cricketer. The Qalandars family is proud to welcome him back as an icon player for this season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League. We look forward to welcoming him to the Qalandars family and hope that his presence will take the team to new heights in the season," said Sameen Rana.

Here is the list of Retained Players for #AbuDhabiT10! 💥✅ @CJordan✅ @Samitpatel21✅ @PhilSalt1✅ @sultanahmaduae#DamaDamMast #MainHoonQalandar #Dilse #AbuDhabiT10 pic.twitter.com/RMx890p3Pp

— Qalandars (@QalandarsT10) December 14, 2020

The Qalandars had earlier declared that Chris Jordan, Samit Patel, Phil Salt, and Sultan Ahmed will continue to represent the franchise in the upcoming T10 League. Shahid Afridi joining the side will only give them more firepower.

Despite losing some big names ahead of last season, the Qalandars finished in the fourth position. They lost to the Bangla Tigers in the third-place play-off.

Dawid Malan was the leading run-getter for the Qalandars last year with 175 runs in nine innings and George Garton was their most successful bowler. Surprisingly, both names are absent from this year's Qalandars squad.