Colombo, May 15 (IANS) The Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) has unveiled the opening fixture of the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026, which will commence on July 17.

According to the official release by the SLC on Friday, the opening game of the multi-team tournament will be played between last year’s champions, the Jaffna Kings, and runners-up, the Galle Marvels. The campaign opener will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo.

The board has also informed that a spectacular opening ceremony will be held at the ground to entertain the fans ahead of the blockbuster start. The final of the league will be played on August 8th.

The sixth edition of LPL was originally scheduled to be held in December 2025, but due to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka will co-host with India in February-March, SLC postponed the league.

The postponement was made considering the broader requirement of preparing the ‘Host Venues’ well in advance for the T20 World Cup 2026. The league, comprising 24 matches, including 20 league games and four knockout fixtures, will be played across four venues: Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, and Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium in Dambulla.

Five franchises would compete against each other twice during the league phase, following which the top four teams would move to the playoffs.

The tournament format involves all five franchises facing each other twice during the league phase. After the round-robin stage, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. The first playoff match, Qualifier 1, will be played between the top two teams, with the winner securing a direct spot in the final.

The teams finishing third and fourth will compete in the Eliminator, and the winner of that match will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2, which will decide the second finalist.

–IANS

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