The sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League will begin on July 17th, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced.
Defending champions Jaffna will face Galle in the opening fixture of the tournament, with the final taking place on August 8th.
The tournament returns after a one-year hiatus, as SLC chose not to conduct the tournament in 2025 to prioritize planning for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India.
The format
This year's tournament will stick to the format used the last time the LPL was conducted – five franchises, facing each other twice in the first round, with the top four teams moving into the play-offs.
The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo will host the first five matches of the tournament, before it moves to Dambulla, then Kandy and finally Colombo for the play-offs and final.
The squads
SLC have decided to give franchises a clear slate by conducting a pre-tournament player draft instead of a player auction, meaning that teams will not be allowed to retain players from their 2024 edition squads.
Each squad will need to consist of a minimum of 18 players, with a provision to add two more players, as long as the two extra slots are filled by local players, for a maximum of 20 players.
SLC has also made the inclusion of two local Under 23 players in each squad mandatory, with at least one named in a team's starting XI.
The player draft will take place on June 1.
Comments
Moderated before publishing. Your email stays private.