The Lanka Premier League has been postponed indefinitely to focus on preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India (Images via X/@LPLT20) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Wednesday announced that the 2025 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has been postponed, with the governing body citing preparations for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup as the primary reason.Sri Lanka will co-host the global event with India in February-March next year and the SLC said it had been decided to prioritize upgrading the venue to ensure readiness for the major tournament.The sixth edition of the LPL was originally scheduled to start on 1 December and featured 24 matches that included 20 league matches and four knockouts across Colombo, Kandy and Dambulla. The five franchises were set to compete against each other twice in the league stage before moving on to the playoffs.In a statement, the SLC said: “Accordingly, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to move the 2025 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) to a more suitable window that will allow full focus to ensure the comprehensive readiness of the venue ahead of the World Cup.She added that the postponement would provide enough time for infrastructure improvements. “The SLC believes that this decision will allow enough time to work on improving and upgrading the ground infrastructure in order to host a successful tournament in the country,” the statement said.The board proposed specific improvement plans for the venues selected to host World Cup matches. “Improve and upgrade the stands for spectators. Improve and modernize the facilities for the players, including changing rooms and training areas. Upgrade and refurbish the facilities for international broadcasting,” SLC said.She also confirmed that the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo will continue with renovation work once it finishes hosting its matches in the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
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“The R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPICS), Colombo, which is one of the three venues that have temporarily suspended their renovation work to host 11 matches of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, will resume development immediately after the completion of the scheduled games,” the SLC added.New dates for LPL season six will be announced at a later date.
