Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially postponed the 2025 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) to prioritize preparations for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which the country will co-host with India in February-March next year.
The tournament, which was originally scheduled to be held from late November to late December this year, has been postponed to a later date to allow the SLC to fully concentrate on preparing the national cricket infrastructure for the global event.
The SLC said in a statement that the decision was taken “after careful consideration of the wider requirement to prepare for the 2026 ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup”.
“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes to announce that the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2025 will not take place this year as originally planned. The decision has been taken after careful consideration of the wider requirement to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India in February-March,” 2026 said.
According to ICC guidelines, all venues for the 20-team tournament must be in “perfect condition” to meet the demands of a major international competition. As a result, SLC decided to redirect resources and attention to venue readiness rather than running a domestic T20 league this year.
The board has outlined a comprehensive plan to improve infrastructure at its key venues, focusing on spectator comfort, player and media facilities and broadcasting standards.
“The SLC believes that this decision will allow sufficient time to work on improving and upgrading the ground infrastructure to enable a successful tournament to be held in the country,” the statement added.
Updates currently underway include:
- Reconstruction of auditoriums and public facilities.
- Modernization of players’ locker rooms and training areas.
- Reconstruction of facilities for international broadcasting.
- Improving media center infrastructure for global media coverage.
- General improvements to venue logistics and facilities.
The renovation program is already underway at three major international venues, including the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS) in Colombo, which has temporarily suspended its upgrades to host 11 matches of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Development work at RPICS will resume immediately after the completion of these matches.
With Sri Lanka set to play a central role in hosting the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup, SLC’s decision reflects a long-standing commitment to ensure that the national stadiums meet global standards and provide a first-class experience for players and fans.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
October 22, 2025
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