Lanka Premier League 2026 to begin on July 17, Jaffna and Galle to clash in opener
Drone show on display during Lanka Premier League (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 18 May 2026, 04:51 PM• Read time - 2 mins
The Lanka Premier League 2026 (LPL 2026) is all set to begin on July 17 with the opening fixture between defending champions Jaffna and last season’s runners-up Galle. The SSC stadium in Colombo will host the season opener, which recently also hosted its inaugural T20I during the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
An official opening ceremony will also be held to commemorate the launch of the 2026 season ahead of the fixture. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had previously announced that the tournament would begin on July 10. However, the date has been revised to July 17, with the final scheduled on August 8. There will also be a reserve day for the final, on August 9.
The SSC stadium in Colombo will host five matches in total from July 17-19. The action will later shift to Dambulla, then Kandy, and return to Colombo for the knockout stages and final at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
The upcoming edition will again feature five teams representing Jaffna, Colombo, Kandy, Galle, and Dambulla. However, SLC is yet to announce the official franchise names and corporate ownership structures. The finalised team identities and brand details will be released in the lead-up to the tournament.
Meanwhile, the player registration portal for the upcoming season has been open since May 8 and will close on May 20. The deadline for registration for all categories remains May 20, but direct signings can take place until May 22.
Draft system returns for LPL 2026
The upcoming edition will see the return of a draft system, set for June 1, after the previous two seasons had an auction process. This change means that no teams will be allowed to retain players from previous seasons.
Each team will need to have a minimum of 18 members in their squad, with a further provision to add two local players, taking the squad limit to a maximum of 20.
To boost homegrown participation, SLC has also announced that two local Emerging U-23 players must be selected by each team, with at least one being named in the starting XI. There must also be four overseas players in the playing XI at any given time.
