Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has made the decision to terminate the Jaffna Kings and Colombo Strikers franchises from the Lanka Premier League (LPL) ahead of the 2025 season. This development comes as the league prepares for its upcoming season, scheduled for July and August.
The LPL, now in its fifth year, no longer includes any of its original five franchise owners. The Jaffna Kings, who first joined the league in its second season and have won three out of the four LPL titles, are now poised to welcome their third set of owners. Meanwhile, the Colombo franchise, which has undergone changes from Colombo Kings to Colombo Stars, will see its fourth ownership transition.
Presently, none of the LPL’s franchise owners have been associated with the league prior to 2024. Last year saw new owners taking up the reins of the Galle Marvels, Dambulla Sixers, and Kandy Falcons.
According to SLC, the termination decision was due to the franchises’ “failure to fulfill their contractual obligations”, though specific details on the shortcomings were not provided. The board expressed its dedication to maintaining the league’s integrity and standards, stating, “Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG Group (the LPL’s organising partners) remain committed to upholding the integrity, standards, and success of the Lanka Premier League”.
As of now, SLC has not published the exact dates for this year’s tournament.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. Follow him on Twitter @afidelf for more insights.
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