Colombo, April 22 (IANS) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced on Wednesday that the 2026 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will be held from July 10 to August 5.
SLC said that the online portal for foreign player registration will open on May 4.
The sixth edition of LPL was originally scheduled to be held in December 2025, but due to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka will co-host with India in February–March, SLC postponed the league.
The postponement was made considering the broader requirement of preparing the ‘Host Venues’ well in advance for the T20 World Cup 2026.
The league, comprising 24 matches, including 20 league games and four knockout fixtures, will be played across four venues: Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, and Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla.
Five franchises would compete against each other twice during the league phase, following which the top four teams would move to the playoffs.
The tournament format involves all five franchises facing each other twice during the league phase. After the round-robin stage, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. The first playoff match, Qualifier 1, will be played between the top two teams, with the winner securing a direct spot in the final.
The teams finishing third and fourth will compete in the Eliminator, and the winner of that match will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, which will decide the second finalist.
Launched in 2020, the LPL has grown into a major domestic T20 tournament with an international presence. Samantha Dodanwela, an executive committee member of Sri Lanka Cricket, will continue in his role as tournament director.
–IANS
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