LPL 2026: Full Squads After the Lanka Premier League Player Drafts

The Lanka Premier League is set to return on the cricketing calendar after a hiatus of a year. The league that was staged during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has witnessed 4 seasons in a row till 2024 before the Sri Lankan Cricket decided to skip the 2025 season.

Ahead of the 2026 season, the five franchises, namely Colombo Kaps, Kandy Royals, Jaffna Kings, Galle Gallants, and Dambula Sixers, have finalized their respective rosters after a high-intensity bidding war culminating on Monday evening with a massive focus on blending youth with seasoned international stars.

The upcoming sixth edition of Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament promises to be the most competitive one yet. Franchises left no stone unturned to patch up their previous structural weaknesses, leaning heavily on power-hitters and wrist-spinners, as they will love to bowl on Sri Lanka’s dry and spinning tracks. Check out the complete, comprehensive breakdown of the official squads for all five teams following the LPL 2026 Player Draft.

Colombo KAPS

The Strikers entered the draft with a clear agenda: reinforce their top-order batting and add explosive firepower to their death overs. By securing marquee international signings and backing local talent, they have put together an incredibly balanced unit.

Pre-drafted Direct Signings: Kusal Mendis (Local Icon), Kamindu Mendis (Local Star), James Neesham (Overseas), Ben McDermott (Overseas)
Overseas Star Power: Ben McDermott, James Neesham, Kushal Bhurtel, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Mahmud, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
The Complete Roster: Ben McDermott, Kamindu Mendis, Jimmy Neesham, Kusal Mendis, Binura Fernando, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Milan Ratnayake, Janith Liyanage, Shahnawaz Dahani, Jeffrey Vandersay, Thanuka Dabare, Movin Subasingha, Mohammed Haris, Hasan Mahmud, Kushal Bhurtel, Malsha Tharupathi, Sharujan Shanmuganathan, Wanuja Sahan, Anthony Pragasam

Dambulla Sixers

The Sixers have opted for a highly dynamic, multi-dimensional squad structure for the 2026 season. They heavily focused on collecting high-quality all-rounders who can seamlessly transition between anchor and finisher roles depending on the pitch conditions.

Pre-drafted Direct Signings: Dinesh Chandimal (Local Icon), Dushmantha Chameera (Local Star), Reeza Hendricks (Overseas), Sahibzada Farhan (Overseas)
Overseas Star Power: Reeza Hendricks, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Gulbadin Naib, Dian Forrester, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohd Wasim Jr.
The Complete Roster: Reeza Hendricks, Dinesh Chandimal, Sahibzada Farhan, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Niroshan Dickwella, Pavan Rathnayake, Akila Dananjaya, Mohammed Wasim, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ramesh Mendis, Sachitha Jayatilake, Gulbadin Naib, Dian Forrester, Shadley Schalkwyk, Vishva Kumara, Gayana Weerasinghe

Galle Gallants

Known for playing an aggressive, boundary-heavy brand of cricket, the Galle Marvels stuck to their core philosophy at the draft table. They built a squad packed with explosive opening batters and high-pace bowlers designed to dominate the powerplay overs.

Pre-drafted Direct Signings: Dasun Shanaka (Local Icon), Eshan Malinga (Local Star), Rassie van der Dussen (Overseas), Sikandar Raza (Overseas)
Overseas Star Power: Rassie van der Dussein, Litton Das, Mohammad Nawaz, Akif Javed, Sam Harper, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Haider Ali
The Complete Roster: Litton Das, Eshan Malinga, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Dasun Shanaka, Charith Asalanka, Mohammad Nawaz, Pramod Madushan, Lasith Croospulle, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Akif Javed, Sahan Arachchige, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Rathnayake, Sam Harper, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Haider Ali, Dinura Kalupahana, Uri Koththigoda, Kasun Rajitha, Sachindu Colombage

SC Jaffna Kings

The franchise with all LPL titles, the Jaffna Kings, approached the 2026 draft with their trademark tactical precision. They retained their elite spine while adding top-tier overseas anchor batsmen to ensure they can control low-scoring, spin-friendly matches.

Pre-drafted Direct Signings: Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Local Icon), Dunith Wellalage (Local Star), Shakib Al Hasan (Overseas), Taskin Ahmed (Overseas)
Overseas Star Power: Taskin Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, David Wiese, Ibrahim Zadran, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lizaad Williams, Dipendra Airee
The Complete Roster: Taskin Ahmed, Dunith Wellalage, Shakib Al Hasan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Avishka Fernando, David Wiese, Dilshan Madushanka, Kamil Mishara, Traveen Mathews, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohommed Shiraz, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lizaad Williams, Dipendra Airee, Kugathas Mathulan, Praveen Manisha, Nishan Madushka

Kandy Royals

Following a rebranding phase, Kandy focused heavily on building a spin-bowling fortress to exploit the wearing tracks expected in the latter half of the tournament. Their draft strategy was heavily praised for securing brilliant middle-order accumulators.

Pre-drafted Direct Signings: Wanindu Hasaranga (Local Icon), Angelo Mathews (Local Star), Moeen Ali (Overseas), Vijay Shankar (Overseas)
Overseas Star Power: Andre Russell, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain
The Complete Roster: Vijay Shankar, Angelo Mathews, Moeen Ali, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nuwan Thushara, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kusal Perera, Asitha Fernando, Garuka Sanketh, Daniel Sams, Vishen Halambage, Muditha Lakshan, Lahiru Udara, Dale Phillips, Zahir Khan, Brandon McMullen, Sahan Mihira, Pawan Sandesh, Dushan Hemantha, Isitha Wijesundera

When will LPL 2026 commence?

With all five teams stacked up, fans await the fifth season of the Lanka Premier League. The tournament is all set to kick off on 17th July, and the final will take place on 8th of August. The SC Jaffna Kings will enter the tournament as the firm favorites, having won all four previous editions and earning the tag of the most successful team in the league’s history.