2026 Lanka Premier League final

2026 Lanka Premier League final
Match programme cover
Event2026 Lanka Premier League
Jaffna Kings Galle Gallants
123 126/5
19.3 overs 15.5 overs
Galle Gallants won by 5 wickets
Date8 August 2026 19:30 UTC+5:30
VenueR. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Player of the matchCharith Asalanka (Galle Gallants)
UmpiresKumar Dharmasena (SL)
Wayne Knights (NZ)
Attendance21,000[1]
← 2024
2027 →

The 2026 Lanka Premier League final was a Twenty20 (T20) cricket match played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 8 August 2026 to determine the winner of the 2026 Lanka Premier League (LPL). The defending champions, Jaffna Kings, qualified for the final after winning Qualifier 1 against Galle Gallants, who went on to defeat Colombo Kaps in Qualifier 2 to secure their place in the final. Jaffna won the toss and elected to bat first; Jaffna were all out for 123 runs in their innings, which Galle chased down in 16 overs scoring 126/5 to win their maiden LPL title. This was the first time that Jaffna lost in the LPL finals.

Background

The 2026 Lanka Premier League was the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league, organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).[2] The season commenced on 17 July and consisted of 5 teams competing in 24 matches.[3][4] After the conclusion of the group stage, four teams advanced to the playoffs,[5] which began on 5 August and concluded with the final played on 8 August at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This was the fourth consecutive LPL final held at that venue, after the 2022, 2023 and 2024 events.[6] The venue was opened to the general public for the final match, with free access granted to the C Upper, C Lower, D Upper, and D Lower stands.[7][8]

The defending champions, Jaffna Kings, qualified for their fifth LPL final after previously being champions in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024.[9] Galle Gallants qualified for their fourth final after previously being runners-up in 2020, 2021 and 2024.[10] The two teams had previously competed in three LPL finals, with Jaffna having won on all three occasions.[2]

Road to the final

Road to the final[11][12]
Jaffna Kings vs Galle Gallants
League stage
League progression[11]
Team Group matches Playoffs
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Q1/E Q2 F
Jaffna Kings 0244681011WL
Galle Gallants 244668810LWW
Win Loss No result
  • Note: The total points at the end of each group match are listed.
  • Note: Click on the points (group matches) or W/L (playoffs) to see the match summary.
OpponentDateResultPointsMatchOpponentDateResultPoints
Galle Gallants17 July 2026Lost0 1 Jaffna Kings17 July 2026Won2
Dambulla Sixers19 July 2026Won2 2 Colombo Kaps18 July 2026Won4
Colombo Kaps22 July 2026Won4 3 Dambulla Sixers22 July 2026Lost4
Galle Gallants23 July 2026Lost4 4 Jaffna Kings23 July 2026Won6
Kandy Royals26 July 2026Won6 5 Kandy Royals25 July 2026Lost6
Colombo Kaps28 July 2026Won8 6 Dambulla Sixers26 July 2026Won8
Kandy Royals30 July 2026Won10 7 Kandy Royals29 July 2026Lost8
Dambulla Sixers2 August 2026N/R11 8 Colombo Kaps1 August 2026Won10
Playoff stage
Qualifier 1Qualifier 2Final
5 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS)8 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS)
1Jaffna Kings242/2 (20 overs)Q1WJaffna Kings123 (19.3 overs)
2Galle Gallants228/8 (20 overs)7 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS)Q2WGalle Gallants126/5 (15.5 overs)
Q1LGalle Gallants177/4 (18.4 overs)
EliminatorEWColombo Kaps176 (18.5 overs)
5 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS)
3Colombo Kaps203/7 (20 overs)
4Kandy Royals135 (18.4 overs)
OpponentDateResultMatchOpponentDateResult
Galle Gallants5 August 2026Won Q1 Jaffna Kings5 August 2026Lost
Qualified for the final Q2 Colombo Kaps7 August 2026Won
2026 Lanka Premier League final

Jaffna Kings

Jaffna Kings began their season with a loss to Galle.[13] They won their next two matches against Dambulla Sixers[14] and Colombo Kaps,[15] but again lost to Galle.[16] They won their next three matches against Kandy Royals,[17] Colombo[18] and Kandy again.[19] Their last league stage match of the season against Dambulla was abandoned due to rain.[20] As they finished the stage in first place with eleven points, they advanced to Qualifier 1 in the playoffs.[11][12] They defeated Galle in Qualifier 1[21] to qualify for the final.[12]

Galle Gallants

Galle Gallants began their season with two wins against Jaffna[13] and Colombo.[22] They then lost to Dambulla,[23] won against Jaffna,[16] lost to Kandy,[24] won against Dambulla,[25] lost to Kandy[26] and won against Colombo[27] to finish the league stage in second place with ten points and advanced to Qualifier 1 in the playoffs.[11][12] They lost Qualifier 1 to Jaffna,[21] but won Qualifier 2 against Colombo[28] to qualify for the final.[12]

Match

Match officials

The on-field umpires for the final were Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Wayne Knights (NZ), while the third umpire was Raveendra Wimalasiri (SL). Chamara de Soysa (SL) was the reserve umpire and Ranjan Madugalle (SL) was the match referee.[29][30]

Team and toss

Jaffna's captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa won the toss and elected to bat.[30]

(IMP) indicates an impact player and (SUB) indicates the player who was substituted.

Impact players[30][31]
TeamOutIn
Galle Gallants Eshan MalingaSahan Arachchige
Jaffna Kings Tawhid HridoyLizaad Williams

Match scorecard

Final
8 August 2026 (2026-08-08)
19:30 (N)
Scorecard
Jaffna Kings
123 (19.3 overs)
v
Galle Gallants
126/5 (15.5 overs)
Kamil Mishara 41 (32)
Charith Asalanka 3/20 (4 overs)
Tom Rogers 34 (27)
Traveen Mathew 2/15 (2 overs)
Galle Gallants won by 5 wickets
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Attendance: 21,000[1]
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Wayne Knights (NZ)
Player of the match: Charith Asalanka (Galle Gallants)
  • Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
  • This was the second consecutive and fourth overall LPL final between Galle Gallants and Jaffna Kings.[2]
  • Galle Gallants won their maiden LPL title.[32]

Jaffna Kings innings

Opting to bat first, Jaffna opener Avishka Fernando scored 20 runs before being dismissed in the fourth over. Second opener Kamil Mishara scored 41 runs, while four other batters were dismissed for fewer then 10 runs each. Chamindu Wickramasinghe scored 24 runs, while the remaining batters were dismissed for single-digit scores, bundling out Jaffna for 123 runs. Mishara was Jaffna's highest run-scorer, while Charith Asalanka and Eshan Malinga picked up three wickets each for Galle.[33][32] Asalanka later received the player of the match award for his bowling performance.[34]

Jaffna Kings batting[30]
Player Status Runs Balls 4s 6s Strike rate
Avishka Fernando c Rogers b Ratnayake 20 16 2 1 125.00
Kamil Mishara c Ratnayake b Malinga 41 32 5 0 128.13
Khawaja Nafay b Asalanka 0 2 0 0 0.00
Tawhid Hridoy (SUB) c Nawaz b Colombage 10 10 1 0 100.00
Bhanuka Rajapaksa lbw b Asalanka 3 6 0 0 50.00
Dunith Wellalage c Kalupahana b Asalanka 3 8 0 0 37.50
Shakib Al Hasan c Colombage b Malinga 9 13 0 0 69.23
Chamindu Wickramasinghe c Asalanka b Malinga 24 16 2 1 160.00
Mohamed Shiraz c †Harper b Javed 1 5 0 0 20.00
Traveen Mathew not out 1 4 0 0 25.00
Zahoor Khan b Ratnayake 2 5 0 0 40.00
Extras(lb 2, w 7)
9
Total
(10 wickets; 19.3 overs)
123102RR: 6.30

Fall of wickets: 1–25 (Avishka Fernando, 3.5 ov), 2–31 (Khawaja Nafay, 4.3 ov), 3–51 (Towhid Hridoy, 7.2 ov), 4–62 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 8.6 ov), 5–68 (Dunith Wellalage, 10.6 ov), 6–87 (Kamil Mishara, 12.6 ov), 7–106 (Shakib Al Hasan, 16.1 ov), 8–113 (Mohamed Shiraz, 17.4 ov), 9–120 (Chamindu Wickramasinghe, 18.2 ov), 10–123 (Zahoor Khan, 19.3 ov)

Galle Gallants bowling[30]
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Wides NBs
Charith Asalanka 4 0 20 3 5.00 0 0
Tharindu Rathnayake 3.3 0 14 1 4.00 1 0
Akif Javed 4 0 25 1 6.25 0 0
Eshan Malinga (SUB) 4 0 25 3 6.25 2 0
Sachindu Colombage 3 0 27 1 9.00 0 0
Chamika Karunaratne 1 0 10 0 10.00 0 0

Galle Gallants innings

Chasing the target of 124, Galle opener Sam Harper was dismissed for a single run, followed by Charith Asalanka for 2 runs. Second openers Tom Rogers and Dinura Kalupahana put together a partnership of 64 runs before both batters were dismissed in the ninth over. Chamika Karunaratne and Sahan Arachchige then put together a partnership of 28 runs until the former was dismissed in the fourteenth over. Galle captain Dasun Shanaka scored 20 runs in 9 balls of 15th and 16th overs to take Galle to 126 to secure their maiden LPL title. Rogers and Kalupahana scored 34 and 31 runs for Galle respectively while Traveen Mathew and Shakib Al Hasan picked up two wickets each for Jaffna.[33][32]

Galle Gallants batting[30]
Player Status Runs Balls 4s 6s Strike rate
Sam Harper c Mathew b Shiraz 1 2 0 0 50.00
Thomas Rogers c Wellalage b Shakib 34 27 5 0 125.92
Charith Asalanka c Nafay b Mathew 2 3 0 0 66.66
Dinura Kalupahana b Shakib 31 19 6 0 163.15
Chamika Karunaratne c Zahoor b Mathew 16 17 1 0 94.11
Sahan Arachchige (IMP) not out 14 19 1 0 73.68
Dasun Shanaka not out 20 9 2 1 222.22
Mohammad Nawaz did not bat
Tharindu Rathnayake did not bat
Sachindu Colombage did not bat
Akif Javed did not bat
Extras(lb 2, nb 1, w 5)
8
Total
(5 wickets; 15.5 overs)
126151RR: 7.95

Fall of wickets: 1–7 (Sam Harper, 0.4 ov), 2–10 (Charith Asalanka, 1.2 ov), 3–74 (Thomas Rogers, 8.1 ov), 4–75 (Dinura Kalupahana, 8.6 ov), 5–103 (Chamika Karunaratne, 13.3 ov)

Jaffna Kings bowling[30]
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets Econ Wides NBs
Mohamed Shiraz 3 0 25 1 8.33 1 0
Traveen Mathew 2 0 15 2 7.50 0 0
Lizaad Williams (IMP) 3.5 0 39 0 10.17 0 1
Shakib Al Hasan 4 0 15 2 3.75 0 0
Dunith Wellalage 2 0 20 0 10.00 0 0
Zahoor Khan 1 0 10 0 10.00 0 0

References

  1. 1 2 "Ball by Ball Commentary & Live Score – GAG vs JK, Final". Cricinfo. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "LPL Winners List: LPL Champions and Runners List of All Seasons, LPL Trophy History". myKhel. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Lanka Premier League returns after two years, opener set for July 17". ESPNcricinfo. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Lanka Premier League 2026 Schedule: Date, timings, fixtures, venue and more". InsideSport. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Lanka Premier League 2026 - Teams, Player Squads, Fixtures, Schedule and All you need to know". Cricket World. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Lanka Premier League Schedule: Full Fixtures List, Match Timings And Venues For LPL 2026". Wisden. 15 July 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "LPL 2026 final to be open to public free of charge". The Morning. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Free entry announced for LPL 2026 Final between Galle and Jaffna". NewsWire. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Mishara century takes Jaffna Kings to LPL final in run fest". The Island. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Lanka Premier League Qualifier 2 Harper and Asalanka guide Galle Gallants to final". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 2026 Lanka Premier League, points table: standings at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 2026 Lanka Premier League, schedule: fixtures and results at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Gallants beat Jaffna, Gallants won by 36 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Jaffna beat Sixers, Jaffna won by 5 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Jaffna beat Kaps, Jaffna won by 5 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Gallants beat Jaffna, Gallants won by 60 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Jaffna beat Royals, Jaffna won by 93 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Jaffna beat Kaps, Jaffna won by 19 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Jaffna beat Royals, Jaffna won by 21 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "DAS vs JK Live score - Lanka Premier League 2026 August 02, 2026 20th Match in Kandy". Cricinfo. August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Jaffna beat Gallants, Jaffna won by 14 runs". Cricinfo. August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Gallants beat Kaps, Gallants won by 5 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Sixers beat Gallants, Sixers won by 6 wickets (with 23 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Royals beat Gallants, Royals won by 11 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "Gallants beat Sixers, Gallants won by 44 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Royals beat Gallants, Royals won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Gallants beat Kaps, Gallants won by 13 runs". Cricinfo. August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Gallants beat Kaps, Gallants won by 6 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Asalanka and Malinga lead Galle to maiden LPL title". ESPN. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "GAG vs JK Cricket Scorecard, Final at Colombo, August 08, 2026". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  31. 1 2 3 "Playing XI - GAG vs JK Final | Lanka Premier League Squads". Cricinfo. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  32. 1 2 3 "Galle Gallants wins Lanka Premier League 2026". Sportstar. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Gallants beat Jaffna, Gallants won by 5 wickets (with 25 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  34. ↑ "Asalanka and Malinga lead Galle to maiden LPL title". ESPN. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
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