Season six of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has kicked off and will be held from July 17 to August 8, 2026, in three cities Colombo, Dambulla, and Kandy featuring five teams fighting for victory. The defending champion team, the Jaffna Kings, who have won the tournament four times in a row since 2020, started their defense of their title facing Galle Gallants and lost the match by 36 runs.
Here is where you will see a full listing of all LPL team owners for 2026, a detailed analysis per each team about their captain, titles and history, as well as an insight into which teams’ owners have the biggest influence in terms of business in the league.
Additionally, it is important to keep in mind from the outset that four out of five of the teams have switched ownership prior to this year, while also the league has faced an immediate controversy a co-owner of the Jaffna Kings has been arrested just hours before the season opening on match-fixing attempts.
Lanka Premier League Team Owners List (2026): Complete Franchise Details
Below is a brief overview of ownership, start year and companies of each franchise in the Lanka Premier League 2026 season:
| Team | Owner(s) | Takeover Date | Company Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo Kaps | Saranyan Palaniswamy & K.C. Shyam Kangayan | October 2025 | Witness Sports Alliance LLC |
| Dambulla Sixers | Priyanga De Silva | 2024 (retained for 2026) | Desilva Holdings |
| Galle Gallants | Kiran Mantripragada & Uday Kiran Namballa | May 4, 2026 | Gallant Sports and Media LLC |
| Jaffna Kings | Manjot Kalra & Mayank Goel | May 15, 2026 | Sports Commune FZC |
| Kandy Royals | Sandhya Ajjarapu (50% partner: Optimum Health Care Pvt. Ltd.) | May 20, 2026 (Optimum joined July 8, 2026) | Ajjarapu Investment Group / Optimum Health Care Pvt. Ltd. |
Team-by-Team Breakdown of LPL 2026 Owners
Take a look at the complete team-by-team breakdown of the Lanka Premier League 2026 franchises including their owners and key details.
Colombo Kaps – Witness Sports Alliance LLC
No team has done more rebranding than Colombo’s LPL team since it started as Colombo Kings in 2020, then Colombo Stars, then Colombo Strikers until Sri Lanka Cricket revoked their license on grounds of failing to fulfill their requirements.
This is where Witness Sports Alliance LLC came into play, headed by Saranyan Palaniswamy and K.C. Shyam Kangayan. They took charge of the team in late October 2025 and renamed it Colombo Kaps.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Owner(s) | Saranyan Palaniswamy & K.C. Shyam Kangayan |
| Company Name | Witness Sports Alliance LLC |
| Current Captain | Kusal Mendis |
| LPL Titles | 0 |
| Win Percentage | 47.8% (2020–2024, as Colombo Kings/Stars/Strikers) |
In addition to his direct experience in operating a franchise in the Tamil Nadu Premier League as Ruby Trichy Warriors, Kangayan is also a former player in the league, whereas Palaniswamy is an investor in sporting businesses in South Asia. The team made it to the finals in one season, in 2022 as Colombo Stars against Jaffna Kings.
Dambulla Sixers – Desilva Holdings
This season has seen all LPL teams change ownership except for Dambulla. Priyanga De Silva, an investor based out of the United States and director of Desilva Holdings, has been the owner of the team since 2024 and will remain the same until 2026.
There have been different names used by the franchise, including Dambulla Viiking, Dambulla Giants, Dambulla Aura, and Dambulla Thunders, before Dambulla Sixers.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Owner(s) | Priyanga De Silva |
| Company Name | Desilva Holdings |
| Current Captain | Dinesh Chandimal |
| LPL Titles | 0 |
| Win Percentage | 48.8% |
The era of the Thunders came to an abrupt end in 2024 as the team’s owner, Tamim Rahman, was found guilty for trying to influence a player, thereby prompting SLC to end that particular contract. In 2023, their best performance was when they got to the finals as Dambulla Aura.
Galle Gallants – Gallant Sports and Media LLC
The Galle franchise has been around since the inaugural season of LPL way back in 2020, starting with Galle Gladiators before getting rebranded to Galle Marvels.
The ownership was sold by Gallant Sports and Media LLC, whose key players include Kiran Mantripragada and Uday Kiran Namballa, in May 2026 and rebranded to Galle Gallants.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Owner(s) | Kiran Mantripragada & Uday Kiran Namballa |
| Company Name | Gallant Sports and Media LLC |
| Current Captain | Dasun Shanaka |
| LPL Titles | 0 |
| Win Percentage | 50.0% |
Though this team has not yet succeeded in winning the championship, they have been able to make two finals appearances in the year 2020 and 2024 where they have managed to end up as runner-up teams.
The year 2024 has been controversial for this team, since its co-owner Prem Thakkur was put behind bars due to his match fixing approach. The new owners of the team wish to run the team on a well-operated platform and ensure long term business profits.
Jaffna Kings – Sports Commune FZC
Without any doubt, Jaffna is the most successful franchise in LPL’s history, having captured four LPL titles out of the five held so far, the first of which came in 2020 when they were named Jaffna Stallions, followed by three consecutive titles in 2021, 2022, and 2024 as Jaffna Kings, boasting an incredible win ratio of 64% from their 51 matches played so far.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Owner(s) | Manjot Kalra & Mayank Goel |
| Company Name | Sports Commune FZC |
| Current Captain | Bhanuka Rajapaksa |
| LPL Titles | 4 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024) |
| Win Percentage | 64.0% |
The Lyca Group owned the franchise until it was terminated in April 2025 due to non-compliance of obligations by SLC. Sports Commune, sponsored by former India Under-19 cricketer Manjot Kalra and an entrepreneur, Mayank Goel, has now taken ownership from May 2026.
Kandy Royals – Ajjarapu Investment Group / Optimum Health Care Pvt. Ltd.
The franchise from Kandy has had the most changes in its name Kandy Tuskers, Kandy Warriors, Kandy Falcons, and for one season B-Love Kandy after winning the title in 2023 with Angelo Mathews, as it won against Dambulla Aura in the final.
Sandhya Ajjarapu, a Florida-based investor with business interests in healthcare, biotechnology, and IT, acquired the franchise in May 2026 and renamed it to Kandy Royals.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Owner(s) | Sandhya Ajjarapu (50% partner: Optimum Health Care Pvt. Ltd.) |
| Company Name | Ajjarapu Investment Group / Optimum Health Care Pvt. Ltd. |
| Current Captain | Angelo Mathews |
| LPL Titles | 1 (2023) |
| Win Percentage | 41.7% overall (63.6% during the 2023 title-winning season) |
Within weeks, in July 2026, Ajjarapu roped in Optimum Health Care (Pvt) Ltd as a 50% shareholder in the franchise, thus expanding its ownership structure before the start of the season. Angelo Mathews remains at the helm of affairs for the team, together with new players like Vijay Shankar and Moeen Ali.
Richest LPL Team Owners in 2026
Since there are no individual estimates for each current LPL owner published by Sri Lanka Cricket, it is impossible to estimate their wealth accurately. It is easier to identify ownership entities that possess significant business heft and capital support, since these factors have more impact on franchise valuation in the long run than the performance of any single season.
In this regard, Kandy Royals is an exceptional example because of the presence of Sandhya Ajjarapu’s shares in several publicly listed US companies and the recent addition of Optimum Health Care as a joint owner.
| Rank | Team / Owner Group | What Drives Their Financial Profile |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kandy Royals (Sandhya Ajjarapu + Optimum Health Care) | Multiple public-market equity holdings plus a new 50% healthcare-sector co-owner |
| 2 | Jaffna Kings (Sports Commune) | Highest title count and brand recognition in LPL history, despite ownership controversy |
| 3 | Galle Gallants (Gallant Sports and Media LLC) | New ownership group building a dedicated sports and media commercial platform |
| 4 | Colombo Kaps (Witness Sports Alliance LLC) | Owners with cross-border franchise management experience in multiple T20 leagues |
| 5 | Dambulla Sixers (Priyanga De Silva) | Stable, single-owner structure with corporate strategy background since 2024 |
Note: This is an indicator of the size and range of business interests of each ownership group, not their personally disclosed net worths.
Conclusion: LPL 2026 New Owners Including Sandhya Ajjarapu, Saranyan Palaniswamy & Manjot Kalra Drive Franchise Growth
LPL 2026 is one of the seasons with the highest level of ownership turnover, where four out of the five teams, namely Colombo Kaps, Galle Gallants, Jaffna Kings, and Kandy Royals, have new owners, whereas only Dambulla Sixers continues with their current ownership structure.
As for playing on the ground, the best team is the Jaffna Kings with their four titles and an impressive win percentage of 64%. In light of recent institutional investment from IPG in the amount of $20 million and additional investments from the new owners such as Sandhya Ajjarapu and Optimum Health Care, the league ownership will continue to change.
