Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to remove the controversial social media follower requirement for Icon and Star category players participating in the sixth season of the Lanka Premier League following backlash from the cricket community.
According to a NewsWire report, the updated version of the LPL Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide, released on May 9, no longer includes the previous requirement that players in the Icon and Star categories must have more than 250,000 social media followers.
The tournament, which is scheduled to take place from July 10 to August 5, had he previously ordered overseas cricketers hoping to step into the top category of icons would need more than cricket credentials. Players were required to appear in at least 75 T20 Internationals, play more than 100 franchise T20 matches and appear in 30 games in the last 18 months. In addition, the league implemented a requirement that players have more than 250,000 followers across social media platforms.
The same social media threshold was also used for the Star category. Players in this group must have featured in at least 50 T20 Internationals, played more than 100 franchise T20 matches and participated in at least 30 games while maintaining a social media following of more than 250,000 in the last 18 months.
NO FOLLOWERS, NO ENTRY IN LPL.
– Players must have more than 250k social media followers to register for Lanka Premier League 2026.
– The rule is part of the criteria for star and icon players.
pic.twitter.com/OOfe47cBDX— Sam (@Cricsam01) May 8, 2026
The revised document removed all references to minimum social media followers across player categories, while retaining cricket-related eligibility requirements, including T20 international appearances, franchise experience and recent match activity.
Many criticized the move, highlighting the contradiction between Sri Lanka Cricket, which previously advised national players to limit their use of social media and focus on their performances, while Lanka Premier League regulations appeared to favor players with large online followings.
The decision sparked widespread debate on social media, with critics arguing that the categories of players in the first T20 tournament in Sri Lanka should be determined by cricketing merit rather than digital popularity.
Although the social media monitoring requirement has now been removed, the revised regulations still place significant emphasis on promotional obligations, including mandatory social media activity, fan engagement programs and tournament-related promotional appearances.
– The end
Published on:
09 May 2026 16:58 IST
