Between them, the five LPL 2026 franchises have retained 14 cricketers ahead of the player drafts. Here are the pre-draft player retentions, signings and updated squads for the 2026 Lanka Premier League.
In 2026, the Lanka Premier League is set to return after two years. The sixth edition of the tournament will feature franchises from the usual five teams – Dambulla, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, and Colombo.
While Dambulla Sixers and defending champions Jaffna Kings have retained their team names, Colombo (Strikers to Kaps), Galle (Marvels to Gallants), and Kandy (Falcons to Royals) have changed their team names. Manjot Kalra, part of the 2018 U19 World Cup winning Indian side, is now a co-owner of Jaffna Kings.
The league stage of the LPL 2026 will be played across three venues: five games at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo (from July 17 to 19), nine at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium (from July 21 to 26), and six at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (from July 28 to August 2).
R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host the playoffs – Qualifier and Eliminator on August 5, Qualifier 2 on August 7, and the Final on August 8.
The player drafts of LPL 2026 will be held on June 1. Ahead of the drafts, the five teams were allowed to retain up to four players, two of whom had to be Sri Lankans. Every team filled their quota of two domestic cricketers. Additionally, Dambulla got two overseas cricketers; Kandy and Jaffna got one overseas cricketer each; while Galle and Colombo did not get any.
LPL 2026: Pre-draft player retentions, signings and updated squads for the Lanka Premier League
Overseas players underlined
Dambulla Sixers: Sahibzada Farhan, Dinesh Chandimal, Reeza Hendricks, Dushmantha Chameera
Kandy Royals: Wanindu Hasaranga, Moeen Ali, Angelo Mathews
Galle Gallants: Dasun Shanaka, Eshan Malinga
Jaffna Kings: Dunith Wellalage, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shakib Al Hasan
Colombo Kaps: Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis
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