In the Lanka Premier League, are “Icon” and “Star” player categories determined by social media follower counts? - Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka English

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An unusual classification rule in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has drawn significant attention. We have fact-checked and clarified the accuracy of claims circulating on social media regarding this requirement.

Social Media Posts:

Posts were shared on social media claiming that, “The organizers have introduced a new eligibility criterion for players to qualify for the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Accordingly, in order for a player to be categorized under the Icon or Star categories of the Lanka Premier League, it has been made mandatory for them to have 250,000 followers on social media.”

Facebook | Archived Link

Following requests for clarification on these claims, we investigated the matter as follows.

Explainer :

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) is Sri Lanka’s professional Twenty20 (T20) franchise cricket tournament. It was launched by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2020 and features five teams representing different cities in Sri Lanka.

This year’s (2026) tournament is scheduled to be held from July 10 to August 5. The registration portal remains open on the Sri Lanka Cricket website until May 18, and reports indicate that players from several major cricketing nations have already expressed their interest in participating.

The controversial situation surrounding LPL 2026 player registrations

According to a controversial rule introduced in May 2026, players in the Icon and Star categories were required to have more than 250,000 social media followers in order to register. International media reports also highlighted that this requirement had drawn significant criticism from the cricketing community.

A reporter covering Pakistan and Afghanistan for ESPNcricinfo had also shared a report regarding this condition on X.

X| Archived Link

We sought clarification on this condition from Sri Lanka Cricket.

The Media Manager of Sri Lanka Cricket

The Media Manager of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Prasanna Rodrigo, confirmed the condition was completely removed under the latest guidelines (Version 1.5) issued on May 9, 2026, officially withdrawing the rule requiring a minimum number of social media followers.

Local as well as international media also reported on this removal in the following manner, as follows, as follows, and as follows.

Following the removal of the social media follower requirement, the current player categorisation and selection criteria are as follows.

For the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026, the player selection Draft process and related regulations are as follows.

The Player Draft system for Lanka Premier League 2026 will be reintroduced this year, replacing the player auction (Auction) format that was used over the past two seasons. This decision has been taken by Sri Lanka Cricket, marking a return to the draft based player allocation system for team selection.

Draft Date: Although the Draft was initially scheduled to be held in March, it is now set to take place on May 23, 2026.

Direct Signings: Before the draft, each franchise may directly sign four players: one local Icon, one overseas Icon, one local Star, and one overseas Star.

Squad Composition: Each squad must consist of a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 24 players, including up to 6 overseas players.

Main Player Categories for Classification

There are six main categories for player classification in the LPL 2026 tournament. Players in the Lanka Premier League are divided into these categories based on their international experience and performance. Franchise owners are required to select players for teams according to these categories.

Icon: This is the highest category. To qualify, a player must have played more than 75 T20I International matches and over 100 franchise matches.

Star: This is the second highest category. Players must have at least 50 T20I International matches and experience in 100 franchise matches.

Gold: This is the mid level category. Players must have a minimum of 30 T20I International matches and 75 franchise matches.

Classic: This category includes players who have played at least 20 T20 International matches and 50 franchise matches.

Associate Stars: This category is reserved for talented players from ICC Associate Member nations.

Local Emerging U23: This is a special category for emerging Sri Lankan players under the age of 23.

Team Classification

In the LPL, teams are organised based on the cities they represent.

City based teams: Five teams compete in the tournament, representing Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, and Dambulla.

Franchise ownership:
Each team operates as a privately owned franchise under individual Franchise Owners.See more details here.

Playing eligibility

Category	T20I Tournaments	Franchise Tournaments	Tournaments within Last 18 Months
Icon	75+	100+	30+
Star	50+	100+	30+
Gold	30+	75+	20+
Classic	20+	50+	20+

Foreign players must have represented their national team or a major T20 franchise league (such as the IPL, BBL, or ILT20) within the past 12 months.

Emerging players in each squad must include two Sri Lankan local players under the age of 23 (born after July 1, 2003). The player salary categories for the 2026 season are structured as follows.

crex.com | insidesport.in

LPL Teams and Owners

The Lanka Premier League consists of five main franchise teams. Recently, there have been changes in the ownership of the Colombo and Galle franchises.

Jaffna Kings: The current champions and the most successful team in the history of the Lanka Premier League, having won the title four times. The franchise is owned by the Lyca Group, under the leadership of Mr. Allirajah Subaskaran.
Kandy Falcons: The team representing the central hills. It is owned by Kandy Falcons Sports Management, led by Mrs. Poornima Samarathunga.
Colombo Kaps: Formerly known as “Colombo Strikers,” this franchise was recently acquired by Witness Sports Alliance LLC, operated by Indian entrepreneurs Saranyan Palaniswamy and K.C. Shyam Kangayan.
Galle Gallants: Previously known as “Galle Marvels,” the franchise was acquired in May 2026 by Gallant Sports and Media LLC, led by Kiran Mantripragada.
Dambulla Sixers: The team representing the Central Province. It is owned by Sequoia Consultants, led by Ms. Dehmi Lokuhettige.

Further details regarding this can be found here and here.

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Conclusion :
Although previously mandatory, the requirement for Icon and Star category players to have 250,000 social media followers was officially withdrawn by Sri Lanka Cricket on May 9, 2026. This rule has been completely removed from the latest tournament guidelines.