Welcome back to another unfiltered episode of The Straight Up Show. You know how we roll here absolutely all about sports, just pure, unadulterated sports talk.
The Daily Morning sat down with Anil Mohan, the founder and CEO of the IPG Group, the event rights holders of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). The 2026 Lanka Premier League (LPL) features five franchises competing for the championship from 17 July to 8 August, 2026. Following the player draft, all teams are locked in and the tournament will be held across four venues.
We spoke to Anil to get the inside scoop on player signings, the financial injection into our local economy, and the future expansion of the tournament.
Following are excerpts of the interview:
How would you describe the current health of the Lanka Premier League?
I have to pick just three words, they would be: promising, competitive, and the future.
What are your honest thoughts moving into LPL 2026?
My feelings are incredibly positive. We have already successfully completed five seasons of the LPL, which you and the fans know all too well. It wasn't an easy ride by any stretch of the imagination. We had to launch and sustain this League through massive global challenges like COVID-19 bio-bubbles, severe economic crises, and an array of logistical nightmares. But we stood resilient.
This year, I can confidently tell you, will be the absolute best and most spectacular season yet. The reason is simple: we have secured truly exceptional, high-quality investors on board who are willing to back the vision fully.
Right now, as we speak, we are in deep talks with several world-class international stars, and big-name players are locked in to arrive. When you combine top-tier corporate backing with elite cricketing talent, this year will undoubtedly be the biggest, most impactful season of all. That is what I firmly believe.
How do you think the LPL has impacted local communities and the broader economic ecosystems across Sri Lanka?
The impact has been massive. To truly grasp the magnitude of what the LPL does, you have to look at the timeline from our inaugural COVID year up to where we stand right now. Over these past five to six years, the League has acted as a massive financial catalyst.
Every single year, a steady influx of approximately $11 million USD enters the country directly because of this tournament.
Now, where does that money go? It flows directly into the local economy. It goes to the players, it goes to the hardworking support staff, it goes to the hospitality sector, the luxury hotels, and right down to the local transport providers and small-scale vendors operating outside the stadiums.
Everyone, from the highest corporate level to the grassroots worker, derives a very substantial, tangible benefit from the LPL. Because of this, the local communities don't just view it as entertainment; they wait for the LPL to happen every single year. They rely on it, and it has become a genuinely wonderful, stabilising economic pillar for the country.
There has been one small talk among the fans and critics on the consistency of franchise owners. Have we gotten that vital consistency back in action for the LPL?
I am really glad you brought this up, because this is a highly critical question, and it is the exact same question that every serious global investor asks me when they sit down at the negotiating table. To truly answer this and understand the dynamics, you have to look at how successful Leagues function across the globe.
When a prominent investor comes to you, they aren't looking for a short-term rental; they want to buy a team. They want to legitimately own the franchise as an asset. They are coming in and investing heavy capital—$2 million, $3 million, or even more every single year.
Naturally, all these owners look at the current framework and ask me: "Anil, you are giving us franchise operational rights for a period of five years, or 10 years maximum. What happens to our brand and our asset after that? If I invest $20 million of my hard-earned capital with you over a decade, are you going to tell me after year 10, that I no longer own the team?"
That is a valid fear. Therefore, to address this issue permanently and establish rock-solid consistency, we are actively working on a structural solution right now alongside Sri Lanka Cricket and the Sports Ministry.
We are pushed to introduce a system of perpetual rights, ensuring that when investors come in, they are the absolute owners of the franchise for the long haul, mirroring the highly successful IPL model.
Major IPL owners I have met, expressed a strong desire for these perpetual rights before expanding into our League. We are heavily iterating on this solution, and right after the completion of this sixth edition, we hope to implement a fruitful framework that will guide the LPL into a much steadier, more permanent, and highly lucrative phase.
Are there any concrete future thoughts regarding the addition of more teams? And further, do you think we might see an expansion into a Women's LPL in the near future?
Yes, absolutely. To answer your first point about adding more teams to the men's category: that roadmap was actually finalised the moment we wrapped up LPL Season Five. The executive decision was made that from next season onwards, we will officially expand the tournament to six teams.
Geographically and structurally, we have the capacity to scale up to eight or even 10 teams down the line.
However, to do that responsibly without diluting the quality of the cricket, you must ensure you have an equally deep and highly skilled pool of domestic and international players available. So, for the immediate next step, moving to six teams next year is the right, balanced approach.
As for your second question—a Women's Lanka Premier League (LPL) is an absolute necessity and something that must happen very soon. Sri Lanka Cricket is an ICC Full Board Member, and our women's national team has been performing exceptionally well on the global stage, winning crucial matches and capturing the public's imagination.
The talent is undeniably there; we have local women who are playing world-class cricket. Introducing a Women's League would be incredible for the sport. We can bring in top Indian stars and prominent international players to compete alongside our local girls, which would elevate women's cricket in the region to an entirely new level.
Why should an international star or a rapidly rising young overseas player choose LPL? What makes the LPL such an attractive and lucrative platform for them?
There are multiple highly strategic reasons why an international player should choose the LPL over other competing Leagues. First and foremost is our geographical and broadcasting advantage: we operate in the prime-time slot for the Indian subcontinent.
Because we share the exact same time zone as India, our evening matches kick off at 7:30 PM. This prime-time scheduling guarantees a huge, highly engaged television audience and digital viewership that other regions simply cannot replicate. Secondly, you have to look at the official status of the League. Sri Lanka is an ICC Full Board Member.
This means our domestic structure, our pitches, and our core group of local players are incredibly strong and deeply seasoned in international cricket. When international players come here, they get high-intensity, authentic exposure. They aren't playing in a secondary or minor league; they are testing their skills against the very finest.
Furthermore, the LPL has proven to be a direct pipeline to the grandest stage of them all—the IPL. At any given time, at least five to seven of our top local or performing international players are actively starring in the IPL.
This subcontinent exposure acts as a massive shop window. When you combine unparalleled viewership, elite full-member playing conditions, and direct scouting exposure to major global Leagues, the advantage of choosing Sri Lanka becomes crystal clear.
Who are some of the Lankan players who have completely blown you away with their performances on the LPL stage?
This is actually the core pillar and the primary focus of why we do what we do. Our ultimate objective is to continuously produce top-tier players through the LPL pipeline who can step up and strengthen the Sri Lankan national team. If you take a step back to when we launched the League six years ago, Sri Lankan cricket was going through a painful transition period. True legends like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and that entire golden generation had retired, leaving a massive void.
Then the LPL started, and suddenly, we began unearthing phenomenal talent. Look at Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana—these absolute superstars were nurtured and spotlighted by the LPL. Just two years after the League's inception, a core group of LPL-molded players went on to win the Asia Cup for the country. Today, these big players are dominating the IPL and the world stage; every major franchise League in the world is clamouring to sign them.
Another incredible example is our young spinner, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth. We literally found him out in Jaffna, in the North of the country. We actually just produced a special documentary on him called "Road to LPL" so people can see his journey.
It shows how a young boy from a non-traditional cricketing hub broke through, dominated the LPL, earned an IPL contract, and went on to represent his country.
It’s a beautiful, true underdog and rags-to-riches story, and it proves that the LPL is finding polished gems from all corners of Sri Lanka.
How do you see the SSC Stadium impacting the fan experience as the latest LPL venue?
Oh, it is a massive advantage for us this season. The SSC is one of the oldest, most prestigious, and historically rich cricket clubs in this country. Now that they have successfully installed state-of-the-art floodlights, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities and dimensions to the game.
In previous years, we usually held our grand opening ceremonies in Kandy or Hambantota, but having the SSC ready means we are bringing the opening night right into the beating heart of Colombo. The physical layout of the SSC is absolutely ideal for a high-energy T20 match. The stands are designed in a way that creates a very close, intimate, and homely atmosphere, where the fans are practically right on top of the action. You get a packed house of 8,000 to 10,000 passionate fans in that tight space, and the atmosphere becomes electric.
I am incredibly happy that we are launching the tournament there, and we certainly plan to play many more high-profile matches at the SSC in the future.
What are your final words to the fans, the franchise owners, the corporate giants and what is your ultimate message for this season?
This year will be bigger, bolder, and better than anything you have witnessed before. We want every single person to come out to the venues, wave their flags, and loudly support their respective teams. The cricket on display is going to be top-drawyer, and we are going to showcase some incredible young talent.
An exciting new feature for 2026 is that we are officially introducing a dedicated roster category for Associate Nation Players. We are picking exceptional talent from countries like Nepal, the United States, and Italy—players who performed brilliantly in the recent World Cup.
By giving these associate heroes a platform to play in Sri Lanka, we are opening up our League to entirely new global audiences. Those nations will now be tuning into watch their local heroes, giving the LPL an unprecedented international viewership boost.
To all the fans: don't miss out, come witness the magic live. And to all the big corporate giants watching: this is your moment to step in, invest, and partner with us to take the LPL to the next level as a dominant global cricket franchise.