LPL sets clear tournament window

Sri Lanka Cricket has fixed the 2026 Lanka Premier League from July 10 to August 5, locking in the tournament window more than two months before the first ball. (srilankacricket.lk) Season 6 will be played at four grounds: Sinhalese Sports Club and R. Premadasa in Colombo, plus Pallekele and Rangiri Dambulla. Sri Lanka Cricket said the online portal for foreign-player registration opens on May 4, 2026. (srilankacricket.lk) ESPNcricinfo reported this will be the first Lanka Premier League staged at four venues, with Sinhalese Sports Club added as a second Colombo stop alongside R. Premadasa. The outlet said the league had previously been discussed for early March, but those dates passed without the tournament being held. (espncricinfo.com) The league is Sri Lanka’s franchise Twenty20 competition, a format built around innings of 20 overs per side and compressed schedules that depend on tight travel, broadcast and squad planning. Sri Lanka Cricket said the tournament is owned by the board and conducted with event rights holder IPG Group. (srilankacricket.lk) (markets.businessinsider.com) A fixed July 10-August 5 run gives franchises a defined block for overseas signings before the registration portal opens. It also gives the organizers a set map across Colombo, Kandy-area Pallekele and Dambulla, instead of waiting on a floating schedule. (srilankacricket.lk) The Lanka Premier League began in 2020 and this will be its sixth edition. Newswire, citing the Sri Lanka Cricket statement, said the tournament remains the country’s top domestic T20 event with local and overseas players in the same competition. (newswire.lk) The 2024 title was won by Jaffna Kings, according to The Island’s report on the new dates. That gives the league a recent on-field reference point even as the 2026 planning starts with venues and registration rather than team announcements. (island.lk) The next marker is May 4, when foreign-player registration opens. After that, the calendar Sri Lanka Cricket published on April 22 becomes the working schedule for squads, venues and travel through August 5. (srilankacricket.lk)