Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced that the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League 2025 (LPL) will not take place this year as originally planned. The decision has been taken in order to prioritise the preparations for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which Sri Lanka is co-hosting with India.
The LPL was initially slated to run from 27 November to 23 December 2025, across three venues: R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (Colombo), Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (Kandy) and Dambulla International Stadium (Dambulla). SLC emphasised that decision was taken "after careful consideration of the broader requirement of preparing well in advance for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026." Notably, all host venues for the upcoming T20I World Cup must meet stringent standards as per International Cricket Council (ICC) guidelines.
"As per the guidelines of the International Cricket Council (ICC), all host venues for the upcoming 20-team event must be in perfect condition to meet the demands of a major international competition," SLC stated in a media release on Wednesday, October 22.
Major upgrades are already in progress at key venues. For instance, the R. Premadasa Stadium, which had paused renovation to host matches of the ongoing ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, will resume redevelopment immediately upon completion of those games.