2026 Jaffna Kings season
| 2026 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Jaffna players during Qualifier 1 | |||
| Coach | Thilina Kandamby | ||
| Captain | Bhanuka Rajapaksa | ||
| League stage | 1st place | ||
| Qualifier 1 | Won against Galle Gallants | ||
| Final | Lost to Galle Gallants | ||
| Most runs | Kamil Mishara (411)[1] | ||
| Most wickets | Lizaad Williams (16)[2] | ||
| Most catches | Chamindu Wickramasinghe (8)[3] | ||
| Most wicket-keeping dismissals | Kamil Mishara (11)[4] | ||
| |||
| 2026 Lanka Premier League Teams |
|---|
 |
| See also |
The 2026 season was Jaffna Kings' sixth appearance in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). They were one of the five cricket teams that competed in the 2026 LPL. The team was captained by Bhanuka Rajapaksa and coached by Thilina Kandamby. The team signed four players before the draft and fifteen players in the draft.
Jaffna Kings finished in first place in the league stage, and advanced to Qualifier 1 in the playoffs. They won Qualifier 1 against Galle Gallants to qualify for their fifth final. However in the final, they lost to Galle Gallants for the first time. Kamil Mishara scored the most runs (411) while Lizaad Williams took the most wickets (11) for Jaffna 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]
Jaffna Kings are the most successful franchise in the league with 4 LPL titles. They were also the defending champions having won their fourth title in the previous season.[8][9] In October 2025, the SLC terminated Lyca Mobile's ownership of the franchise for failing to fulfill contractual obligations.[10] The franchise was then purchased by Sports Commune, led by Indian sports entrepreneurs Manjot Kalra and Mayank Goel.[11]
On 17 July 2026, hours before the opening match of the season, Manjot Kalra, co-owner of the franchise via Sports Commune, was arrested by Sri Lanka's Special Investigation Unit (SIU) for the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports in connection with an anti-corruption investigation.[12][13] On 23 July, Sports Commune's ownership of the franchise was terminated.[14][15] To stabilize the franchise, the SLC and the league's commercial rights holder, the IPG Group, assumed full operational control of the team and took over all personnel contracts.[16][17] On 4 August, a day before the playoffs, the franchise was acquired by Anchor Sports, a Stockholm-based sports group co-owned by entrepreneur Nagendra Siddoutam and former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan.[18][19]
Players' draft
In January 2026, the SLC announced that instead of an auction a players' draft would be held ahead of the 2026 season.[20] The players' draft was originally scheduled for 22 March 2026[21] but was postponed to 1 June 2026.[22] Each team was allowed to sign two overseas and two domestic players before the draft.[23][24] 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.[25][26][27]
| Category | Domestic | Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Icon | Bhanuka Rajapaksa | Shakib Al Hasan |
| Star | Dunith Wellalage | Taskin Ahmed |
| Category | Domestic | Overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Platinum | Avishka Fernando | David Wiese |
| Gold | Dilshan Madushanka | Ibrahim Zadran |
| Kamil Mishara | N/a | |
| Traveen Mathew | ||
| Classic | Mohamed Shiraz | Sandeep Lamichhane |
| Chamindu Wickramasinghe | Lizaad Williams | |
| Nuwanidu Fernando | N/a | |
| Emerging U23 | Kugathas Mathulan | N/a |
| Praveen Manisha | ||
| Associate Star | N/a | Dipendra Singh Airee |
| Optional Gold | Nishan Madushka | N/a |
| Optional Classic | N/a |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Mohamed Shiraz |  Sri Lanka | 13 February 1995 (aged 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Domestic Classic | |
| 9 | Dunith Wellalage | Sri Lanka | 9 January 2003 (aged 23) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Domestic Star | |
| 16 | Zahoor Khan |  United Arab Emirates | 25 May 1989 (aged 37) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Associate Star | Overseas; replacement[a] |
| 22 | Chamindu Wickramasinghe | Sri Lanka | 6 September 2002 (aged 23) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Domestic Classic | |
| 24 | Nishan Madushka | Sri Lanka | 10 September 1999 (aged 26) | Right-handed | N/a | Optional Gold | |
| 25 | Sandeep Lamichhane |  Nepal | 2 August 2000 (aged 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Overseas Classic | Overseas |
| 27 | Nuwanidu Fernando | Sri Lanka | 13 October 1999 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Domestic Classic | |
| 28 | Avishka Fernando | Sri Lanka | 5 April 1998 (aged 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Domestic Platinum | |
| 36 | Khawaja Nafay |  Pakistan | 13 February 2002 (aged 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas Gold | Overseas; replacement[b] |
| 42 | Kamil Mishara | Sri Lanka | 24 April 2001 (aged 25) | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | Domestic Gold | |
| 46 | Praveen Maneesha | Sri Lanka | 12 November 2005 (aged 20) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Emerging U23 | |
| 50 | Lizaad Williams |  South Africa | 1 October 1993 (aged 32) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Classic | Overseas |
| 54 | Bhanuka Rajapaksa | Sri Lanka | 24 October 1991 (aged 34) | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Domestic Icon | Captain[29] |
| 75 | Shakib Al Hasan |  Bangladesh | 24 March 1987 (aged 39) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Overseas Icon | Overseas |
| 77 | Tawhid Hridoy | Bangladesh | 4 December 2000 (aged 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Overseas Star | Overseas; replacement[c] |
| 79 | Traveen Mathew | Sri Lanka | 14 June 2004 (aged 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Domestic Gold | |
| 96 | David Wiese |  Namibia | 18 May 1985 (aged 41) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Platinum | Overseas |
| 98 | Dilshan Madushanka | Sri Lanka | 18 September 2000 (aged 25) | Right-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | Domestic Gold | |
| N/a | Kugathas Mathulan | Sri Lanka | 3 May 2007 (aged 19) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Emerging U23 | |
| 3 | Taskin Ahmed † | Bangladesh | 3 April 1995 (aged 31) | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | Overseas Star | Overseas; withdrawn[c] |
| 18 | Ibrahim Zadran † | .svg.png){kind=small} Afghanistan | 12 December 2001 (aged 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Overseas Gold | Overseas; withdrawn[b] |
| 45 | Dipendra Singh Airee † | Nepal | 24 January 2000 (aged 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Associate Star | Overseas; withdrawn[a] |
- 1 2 Zahoor Khan replaced Dipendra Singh Airee, after the latter withdrew due to national duty.[32]
- 1 2 Khawaja Nafay replaced Ibrahim Zadran, after the latter withdrew due to national duty.[31]
- 1 2 Tawhid Hridoy replaced Taskin Ahmed, after the latter withdrew due to national duty.[30]
Support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Thilina Kandamby |
| Bowling coach | Dharshana Gamage |
| Fielding coach | Manoj Abayawickrama |
League stage
Jaffna Kings began their season with a loss to Galle Gallants.[35] They won their next two matches against Dambulla Sixers[36] and Colombo Kaps[37] but lost to Galle again.[38] They won their next three matches against Kandy Royals,[39] Colombo[40] and Kandy again.[41] Their last league stage match of the season against Dambulla was abandoned due to rain[42] as they finished the stage at first place with eleven points and advanced to Qualifier 1 in the playoffs.[43][44]
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 | |
| Jaffna Kings | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 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
Galle Gallants 213/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Jaffna Kings 177 (19.4 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
- This was the first LPL match played at this venue.[45]
Dambulla Sixers 130 (19.3 overs) |
v |
Jaffna Kings 133/5 (19 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings 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.
Galle Gallants 193/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Jaffna Kings 133 (17.5 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Jaffna Kings 199/4 (20 overs) |
v |
Kandy Royals 106 (18.2 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
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).[46]
Jaffna Kings 221/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Kandy Royals 200 (20 overs) |
Pavan Sandesh 48 (21) Dunith Wellalage 3/11 (2 overs) |
- Kandy Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Dambulla Sixers 203/8 (20 overs) |
v |
|
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
- No further play was possible due to rain.
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) | |||||||||||
Qualifier 1
Jaffna Kings 242/2 (20 overs) |
v |
Galle Gallants 228/8 (20 overs) |
- Galle Gallants won the toss and elected to field.
- Kamil Mishara (Jaffna Kings) scored his maiden T20 century.[47]
- Jaffna Kings' 242 in this match was the highest innings total in the LPL, surpassing their own record of 240 in 2024.[48]
- The 470 runs scored in this match was the highest match aggregate in the LPL, surpassing 454 runs between Kandy Falcons and Jaffna Kings in 2024.[49]
- Jaffna Kings qualified for their second consecutive and fifth overall LPL final.[50][8]
Final
Jaffna Kings 123 (19.3 overs) |
v |
Galle Gallants 126/5 (15.5 overs) |
Tom Rogers 34 (27) Traveen Mathew 2/15 (2 overs) |
Statistics
At the LPL end of season awards, Jaffna players Kamil Mishara and Traveen Mathew were awarded as player of the tournament and emerging player of the tournament respectively.[53][51]
| Runs | Player |
|---|---|
| 411 | Kamil Mishara |
| 232 | Avishka Fernando |
| 162 | Dunith Wellalage |
| 157 | Chamindu Wickramasinghe |
| 156 | Ibrahim Zadran |
| Wickets | Player |
|---|---|
| 16 | Lizaad Williams |
| 14 | Dunith Wellalage |
| Dilshan Madushanka | |
| 11 | Shakib Al Hasan |
| 9 | 2 players |
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". Cricinfo. 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 3 "LPL Winners List: LPL Champions and Runners List of All Seasons, LPL Trophy History". myKhel. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- ↑ "Rilee Rossouw's unbeaten ton helps Jaffna Kings to win Lanka Premier League 2024 final". SportsTak. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "SLC terminates Jaffna Kings and Colombo Strikers ahead of LPL 2025". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
- ↑ "New owners announced for Jaffna Kings ahead of LPL season 6". Newswire. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka arrests T20 team co-owner Manjot Kalra over match-fixing". The Hindu. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Balasuriya, Madushka (17 July 2026). "LPL hit by another franchise owner controversy hours before 2026 season opener". Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Balasuriya, Madushka (23 July 2026). "Sports Commune terminated as Jaffna Kings owners". Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna Kings franchise agreement terminated". Cricbuzz. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna Kings terminated mid-season after co-owner's arrest and corruption allegations". The Times of India. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "SLC, IPG take over Jaffna Kings after Franchise Termination". NewsWire. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Balasuriya, Madushka (4 August 2026). "Zaheer Khan co-owned Anchor Sports AB acquires Jaffna Kings". Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Bhattacharjee, Probuddha (5 August 2026). "Zaheer Khan steps into Jaffna Kings ownership after Manjot Kalra's exit amid alleged match-fixing scandal". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "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 – Jaffna Kings 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.
- ↑ "Bangladesh Towhid Hridoy replaces Taskin Ahmed for Jaffna Kings". Lanka Premier League. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "LPL Players Updates - LPL T20". Lanka Premier League. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "All-round contributions from Shakib, Wellalage and Wickramsinghe's 15-ball 43 lead Jaffna Kings to playoffs - 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 Jaffna, Gallants won by 36 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Sixers, Jaffna won by 5 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Kaps, Jaffna won by 5 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Gallants beat Jaffna, Gallants won by 60 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Royals, Jaffna won by 93 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Kaps, Jaffna won by 19 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "Jaffna beat Royals, Jaffna won by 21 runs". Cricinfo. July 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ "DAS vs JK Live score - Lanka Premier League 2026 August 02, 2026 20th Match in Kandy". 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.
- ↑ "Sri Lanka Cricket Announces LPL 2026 Schedule; R. Premadasa Stadium To Host Final". Crex. Retrieved 18 July 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 Mishara's heroics steer Jaffna Kings into final". Daily Mirror. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Re-laid pitch at RPS produces a run glut". Daily FT. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Mishara's maiden T20 century takes Jaffna to record fifth LPL final after they edge Gallants in Colombo run-fest". Lanka Premier League. 5 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ "Mishara century takes Jaffna Kings to LPL final in run fest". The Island. 6 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Ball by Ball Commentary & Live Score – GAG vs JK, Final". Cricinfo. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- ↑ "Galle Gallants wins Lanka Premier League 2026". Sportstar. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Galle Gallants win their maiden LPL title as Jaffna Kings fall flat in final". Lanka Premier League. 8 August 2026. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
External links
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