2026 Colombo Kaps season
| 2026 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Colombo players during a league stage match | |||
| Coach | Chamara Kapugedera | ||
| Captain | Kusal Mendis Kamindu Mendis | ||
| League stage | 3rd place | ||
| Eliminator | Won against Kandy Royals | ||
| Qualifier 2 | Lost to Galle Gallants | ||
| Most runs | Kamindu Mendis (280)[1] | ||
| Most wickets | Mujeeb Ur Rahman (13)[2] | ||
| Most catches | James Neesham (6)[3] | ||
| Most wicket-keeping dismissals | Sadeera Samarawickrama (5)[4] | ||
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| 2026 Lanka Premier League Teams |
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| See also |
The 2026 season was Colombo Kaps' sixth appearance in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). They were one of the five cricket teams that competed in the 2026 LPL. Mid-season, Kamindu Mendis took over as the captain after Kusal Mendis withdrew due to injury. The team was coached by Chamara Kapugedera. The team signed four players before the draft and sixteen players in the draft.
Colombo Kaps finished in first place in the league stage, and advanced to Eliminator in the playoffs. They won Eliminator against Kandy Royals but lost Qualifier 1 to Galle Gallants. Captain Kamindu scored the most runs (280) while Mujeeb Ur Rahman took the most wickets (13) for Colombo in the 2026 season.
Pre-season
The 2026 Lanka Premier League was the 6th edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league, organised by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The tournament featured five teams competing in 24 matches from 17 July to 8 August 2026.[5][6][7]
Colombo Kaps were previously runners-up in the 2022 season.[8] The team finished in 4th place in the previous season.[9] In October 2025, the SLC terminated SKKY Group's ownership of the franchise for failing to fulfill contractual obligations.[10] The franchise was then purchased by Witness Sports Alliance LLC, led by Indian entrepreneurs Saranyan Palaniswamy and K.C. Shyam Kangayan, and was renamed to Colombo Kaps from Colombo Strikers.[11]
Players' draft
In January 2026, the SLC announced that instead of an auction a players' draft would be held ahead of the 2026 season.[12] The players' draft was originally scheduled for 22 March 2026[13] but was postponed to 1 June 2026.[14] Each team was allowed to sign two overseas and two domestic players before the draft.[15][16] In the draft, each team was required to sign at least 14 players, with a maximum of 16 players under 10 categories, including 5 overseas players in 4 categories. One overseas player had to be from an associate country while two domestic players had to be under the age of 23.[17][18][19]
| Category | Domestic | Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Icon | Kusal Mendis | James Neesham |
| Star | Kamindu Mendis | Ben McDermott |
| Category | Domestic | Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | Binura Fernando | Mujeeb Ur Rahman |
| Gold | Sadeera Samarawickrama | Shahnawaz Dahani |
| Milan Rathnayake | N/a | |
| Janith Liyanage | ||
| Classic | Jeffrey Vandersay | Mohammad Haris |
| Thanuka Dabare | Hasan Mahmud | |
| Movin Subasingha | N/a | |
| Emerging U23 | Malsha Tharupathi | N/a |
| Sharujan Shanmuganathan | ||
| Associate Star | N/a | Kushal Bhurtel |
| Optional Gold | Wanuja Sahan | N/a |
| Optional Classic | Anthony Arul Pragasam |
Squad
- Players with international caps as of the start of the 2026 LPL are listed in bold.
- Ages are as of 17 July 2026.
- Withdrawn players are indicated by a dagger symbol (†) and placed at the bottom of the table.
| S/N | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Thanuka Dabare |  Sri Lanka | 20 August 1998 (aged 27) | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | Domestic Classic | |
| 5 | Wanuja Sahan | Sri Lanka | 17 June 2003 (aged 23) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Domestic Gold | |
| 7 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | .svg.png){kind=small} Afghanistan | 28 March 2001 (aged 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas Platinum | Overseas |
| 10 | Malsha Tharupathi | Sri Lanka | 7 November 2004 (aged 21) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Emerging U23 | |
| 14 | Kushal Bhurtel |  Nepal | 22 January 1997 (aged 29) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Associate Star | Overseas |
| 19 | Ashen Bandara | Sri Lanka | 23 November 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Domestic Icon | Replacement[a] |
| 21 | Kamindu Mendis | Sri Lanka | 30 September 1998 (aged 27) | Left-handed | Ambidextrous spin | Domestic Star | Captain[b] |
| 23 | Sadeera Samarawickrama | Sri Lanka | 30 August 1995 (aged 30) | Right-handed | N/a | Domestic Gold | |
| 24 | Ripon Mondol |  Bangladesh | 21 March 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Classic | Overseas; replacement[c] |
| 25 | Sharujan Shanmuganathan | Sri Lanka | 25 April 2006 (aged 20) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Emerging U23 | |
| 37 | Milan Rathnayake | Sri Lanka | 1 August 1996 (aged 29) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Domestic Gold | |
| 45 | Shahnawaz Dahani |  Pakistan | 5 August 1998 (aged 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Gold | Overseas |
| 46 | Jeffrey Vandersay | Sri Lanka | 5 February 1990 (aged 36) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Domestic Classic | |
| 47 | Ben McDermott | .svg.png){kind=small} Australia | 12 December 1994 (aged 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Star | Overseas |
| 50 | James Neesham |  New Zealand | 17 September 1990 (aged 35) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Icon | Overseas |
| 51 | Movin Subasingha | Sri Lanka | 6 July 2000 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Domestic Classic | |
| 69 | Anthony Arul Pragasam | Sri Lanka | 6 November 1993 (aged 32) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Domestic Classic | |
| 71 | Binura Fernando | Sri Lanka | 12 July 1995 (aged 31) | Right-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | Domestic Platinum | |
| 83 | Rubin Hermann |  South Africa | 26 January 1997 (aged 29) | Left-handed | N/a | Overseas Classic | Overseas; replacement[d] |
| 95 | Janith Liyanage | Sri Lanka | 12 July 1995 (aged 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Domestic Gold | |
| 13 | Kusal Mendis † | Sri Lanka | 2 February 1995 (aged 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Domestic Icon | Captain;[21][b] withdrawn[a] |
| 29 | Mohammad Haris † | Pakistan | 30 March 2001 (aged 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas Classic | Overseas; withdrawn[d] |
| 91 | Hasan Mahmud † | Bangladesh | 12 October 1999 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Classic | Overseas; withdrawn[c] |
- 1 2 Ashen Bandara replaced Kusal Mendis, after the latter withdrew due to hamstring injury.[23]
- 1 2 Kamindu Mendis took over as the captain after Kusal Mendis withdrew due to hamstring injury.[22]
- 1 2 Ripon Mondol replaced Hasan Mahmud, after the latter withdrew due to national duty.[23]
- 1 2 Rubin Hermann replaced Mohammad Haris, after the latter withdrew due to participating in GSL.[24]
Support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Chamara Kapugedera |
| Bowling coach | Nuwan Kulasekara |
| Fielding coach | Vimukthi Deshapriya |
League stage
Colombo Kaps began their season with a loss to Galle Gallants.[27] They won their next match against Kandy Royals[28] but lost to Jaffna Kings.[29] They won their next two matches against Kandy[30] and Dambulla Sixers[31] but lost to Jaffna again.[32] They won their next match against Dambulla[33] but lost to Galle again[34] and finished the league stage at third place with eight points and advanced to Eliminator in the playoffs.[35][36]
Points table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaffna Kings (R) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0.385 | Advanced to Qualifier 1 |
| 2 | Galle Gallants (C) | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0.604 | |
| 3 | Colombo Kaps | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0.108 | Advanced to Eliminator |
| 4 | Kandy Royals | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | −0.567 | |
| 5 | Dambulla Sixers | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | −0.565 | Eliminated |
League progression
| Team | Group matches | Playoffs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Q1/E | Q2 | F | |
| Colombo Kaps | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | W | L | |
| 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.
Fixtures
Colombo Kaps 189/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Galle Gallants 191/5 (19.2 overs) |
Sam Harper 65 (45) Wanuja Sahan 3/19 (3 overs) |
- Galle Gallants won the toss and elected to field.
Kandy Royals 179 (20 overs) |
v |
Colombo Kaps 182/4 (19.4 overs) |
- Colombo Kaps won the toss and elected to field.
Jaffna Kings 179/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Colombo Kaps 174/9 (20 overs) |
- Colombo Kaps won the toss and elected to field.
Colombo Kaps 192/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Kandy Royals 169/8 (20 overs) |
- Kandy Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Colombo Kaps 197/5 (20 overs) |
v |
Dambulla Sixers 176/8 (20 overs) |
- Dambulla Sixers won the toss and elected to field.
Jaffna Kings 202/5 (20 overs) |
v |
Colombo Kaps 183/9 (20 overs) |
- Colombo Kaps won the toss and elected to field.
- Shahnawaz Dahani (Colombo Kaps) recorded the most expensive bowling figures in the LPL (0/71).[37]
Dambulla Sixers 174/5 (20 overs) |
v |
Colombo Kaps 177/6 (19 overs) |
- Dambulla Sixers won the toss and elected to bat.
Galle Gallants 201/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Colombo Kaps 188 (19.4 overs) |
Charith Asalanka 58 (37) Wanuja Sahan 2/28 (3 overs) |
- Colombo Kaps won the toss and elected to field.
Playoffs
Bracket
| Qualifier 1 | Qualifier 2 | Final | |||||||||||
| 5 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS) | 8 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS) | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Jaffna Kings | 242/2 (20 overs) | Q1W | Jaffna Kings | 123 (19.3 overs) | ||||||||
| 2 | Galle Gallants | 228/8 (20 overs) | 7 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS) | Q2W | Galle Gallants | 126/5 (15.5 overs) | |||||||
| Q1L | Galle Gallants | 177/4 (18.4 overs) | |||||||||||
| Eliminator | EW | Colombo Kaps | 176 (18.5 overs) | ||||||||||
| 5 August 2026 – Colombo (RPS) | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Colombo Kaps | 203/7 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 4 | Kandy Royals | 135 (18.4 overs) | |||||||||||
Eliminator
Colombo Kaps 203/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Kandy Royals 135 (18.4 overs) |
Lahiru Udara 50 (36) Wanuja Sahan 2/8 (4 overs) |
- Colombo Kaps won the toss and elected to bat.
Qualifier 2
Colombo Kaps 176 (18.5 overs) |
v |
Galle Gallants 177/4 (18.4 overs) |
Statistics
| Runs | Player |
|---|---|
| 280 | Kamindu Mendis |
| 253 | Ben McDermott |
| 207 | Janith Liyanage |
| 196 | Rubin Hermann |
| 173 | James Neesham |
| Wickets | Player |
|---|---|
| 13 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman |
| 9 | Wanuja Sahan |
| Shahnawaz Dahani | |
| 7 | James Neesham |
| Malsha Tharupathi |
References
- 1 2 2026 Lanka Premier League, batting most runs career at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 2026 Lanka Premier League, bowling most wickets career at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ 2026 Lanka Premier League, fielding most catches career at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ 2026 Lanka Premier League, keeping most dismissals career at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lanka Premier League 2026 - Teams, Player Squads, Fixtures, Schedule and All you need to know". Cricket World. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lanka Premier League returns after two years, opener set for July 17". ESPNcricinfo. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ↑ "LPL 2026 Opening Game between Jaffna and Galle on July 17". Ada Derana. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- 1 2 "LPL Winners List: LPL Champions and Runners List of All Seasons, LPL Trophy History". myKhel. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ 2024 Lanka Premier League, points table: standings at Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "SLC terminates Jaffna Kings and Colombo Strikers ahead of LPL 2025". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "Lanka Premier League receives Indian investment with acquisition of Colombo Kaps franchise". The Tribune. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ↑ "No auction, just player draft for Lanka Premier League". Ada Derana. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "Lanka Premier League to conduct player draft instead of auction on March 22". Geo Super. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
- ↑ "LPL player draft on June 1st : Five key updates". NewsWire. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "LPL teams unveil 20-player direct signing list". NewsWire. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
- 1 2 "LPL 2026 attracts top international talent ahead of player draft". Ada Derana. 29 May 2026. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
- 1 2 "LPL 2026: Final Squads". Sri Lanka Cricket. 2 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 Sanjeewa, Kanishka (1 June 2026). "Full LPL 2026 Squads Following the Player Draft". ThePapare. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Jain, Naman (2 June 2026). "All LPL 2026 squads after Lanka Premier League draft". Inside Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ 2026 Lanka Premier League – Colombo Kaps squad at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lanka Premier League 2026: Full list of squads and team captains for LPL". Wisden. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "LPL: Kamindu Mendis appointed Colombo Kaps captain following Kusal Mendis' injury". Asian News International. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza joins Dambulla Sixers as LPL 2026 confirms key player replacements - LPL T20". Lanka Premier League. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Colombo Kaps win their fourth match as Rubin Hermann blasts 26-ball 48 - LPL T20". Lanka Premier League. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka's coaching talent will once again take center stage at LPL 2026". Sri Lanka Sports. 30 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Teams - LPL T20". Lanka Premier League. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Gallants beat Kaps, Gallants won by 5 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Kaps beat Royals, Kaps won by 6 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Kaps, Jaffna won by 5 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Kaps beat Royals, Kaps won by 23 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Kaps beat Sixers, Kaps won by 21 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Kaps, Jaffna won by 19 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Kaps beat Sixers, Kaps won by 4 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Gallants beat Kaps, Gallants won by 13 runs". Cricinfo. August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 2026 Lanka Premier League, points table: standings at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 2026 Lanka Premier League, schedule: fixtures and results at Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "4-0-71-0: Discarded Pakistan Speedster Shahnawaz Dahani Bowls Most Expensive Spell In LPL History". Wisden. 29 July 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lanka Premier League Qualifier 2 Harper and Asalanka guide Galle Gallants to final". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
External links
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