LPL 2026 draft introduces bizarre rule: 250k followers on social media needed to register as Icon or Star player
LPL 2026 draft introduces bizarre rule: 250k followers on social media needed to register as Icon or Star player originally appeared on Cricket News . Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . KEY TAKEAWAYS: Sri Lanka's Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 demands 250k+ social media followers for Icon and Star player registration in their draft.
Foreign player registration portal opens May 8, closing on May 18, 2026. The sixth LPL edition runs from July 10 to August 5 across four venues. No followers, no deal!
What do the Lankan Premier League registration rules say? Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has published the player category qualification criteria ahead of the sixth season of the LPL, and the document covers six distinct categories: Icon, Star, Gold, Classic, Associate Stars, and Local Emerging U23 players. And one condition stands out for all the wrong reasons.
Both the Icon and Star categories carry identical social media conditions; a following exceeding 250,000, described as essential alongside a large fan base and commercial appeal. MORE: Is it the end of captain SKY era? Suryakumar Yadav's IPL and T20I form could cost him India spot The Gold category sets the bar slightly lower at 150,000 followers.
Classic and Associate Stars categories list fan base and commercial appeal as requirements, but stop short of putting a number on it. The Local Emerging U23 category, reserved for Sri Lankan players under 23 who were born after July 1, 2003, has no such social media clause at all. Whereas, cricketing eligibility requires that icon players must have played 75 T20 internationals, over 100 franchise T20 matches, and at least 30 matches in the past 18 months.