Lanka Premier League embraces IPL's most controversial rule | Full list of squads for 2026 season

Despite the scathing criticism surrounding the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has decided to embrace it wholeheartedly. The upcoming edition of the LPL, beginning July 17, will introduce the Impact Player substitution in a bid to attract more eyeballs and inject fresh intrigue into the competition.

Alongside this, another sweeping change has been announced: the mandatory inclusion of an Under‑23 player in every playing XI. Eligible players must be born on or after July 1, 2003, and will feature in the starting lineup regardless of the Impact Player substitutions. However, this rule may face immediate challenges. With Sri Lanka’s U19 team touring India in July, much of the country’s top‑tier youth talent will be unavailable, potentially leaving franchises scrambling for suitable replacements.

The Impact Player rule itself has already been branded controversial by some of cricket’s biggest names. Sachin Tendulkar, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma, among others, have criticised the regulation for distorting the balance between bat and ball, leaving bowlers with little room to manoeuvre. Yet, despite the backlash, LPL organisers are pressing ahead, signalling their intent to experiment boldly.

LPL 2026 pre-signings and full squads

These announcements were made on June 1 in Colombo during the player draft, which lasted over three hours. Each of the five franchises was required to select a minimum of 18 players across multiple rounds, with four pre‑signings allowed before the draft. Notably, all teams except Dambulla Sixers unveiled new owners, revamped coaching staff, and even fresh team names, underscoring the league’s transformation.

Players were slotted into distinct categories: Platinum (USD 50,000), Gold (USD 30,000), Classic (USD 20,000), each split between local and foreign talent. Additional brackets included Associate (USD 15,000) and Emerging Under‑23 (USD 10,000) players. Among the headline pre‑signings was recently retired India all‑rounder Vijay Shankar, who will turn out for Kandy Royals.

Pre-signings:

SC Jaffna Kings - Taskin Ahmed, Dunith Wellalage, Shakib Al Hasan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Galle Gallants - Litton Das, Eshan Malinga, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Dasun Shanaka

Kandy Royals - Vijay Shankar, Angelo Mathews, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga

Colombo Kaps - Ben McDermott, Kamindu Mendis, Jimmy Neesham, Kusal Mendis

Dambulla Sixers - Reeza Hendricks, Dinesh Chandimal, Sahibzada Farhan, Dushmantha Chameera