Chennai Super Kings Squad - (Source: AFP)
After months and months of delay, the 6th edition of the Lanka Premier League is all set to kick off on July 17. Notably, the players’ draft will be held on June 1, which is five days from now. In the latest events, a former CSK star has penned a deal with Kandy Royals days after announcing his domestic cricket retirement.
According to reports, over 650 overseas players from 21 countries registered for the player draft, and 310 players were shortlisted for the draft. For the unversed, there are four categories - Local Icon, Overseas Icon, Local Star, Overseas Star.
Vijay Shankar Joins Kandy Royals
No surprises here, but ex-CSK star Vijay Shankar is the one who has joined Kandy Royals for the Lanka Premier League season 6. On May 22, the 35-year-old announced his retirement from IPL and domestic cricket, hinting that he is looking for opportunities in global leagues.
Kandy Royals' Signings So Far
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Icon)
- Angelo Mathews (Star)
- Moeen Ali 🏴 (Icon)
- Vijay Shankar 🇮🇳 (Star)
For the unversed, Vijay Shankar represented India from 2018-19, playing the ODI World Cup as well. Shedding light on his IPL career, the all-rounder played for CSK in 2014. He featured for several other franchises over the years but ended his stint with CSK in 2025.
It was a shambolic season for the right-handed batter as he only amassed 118 runs in 5 innings. Therefore, the Men in Yellow released him ahead of IPL 2026, and the Tamil Nadu-based cricketer saw no interest during the auction.
Vijay Shankar Pens Emotional Note On His Retirement
Vijay Shankar announced his retirement via a social media post, and here is an excerpt from it.
"Cricket is my life. I started playing when I was 10, and 25 years later, I am grateful and blessed to have played at every level, and to the highest level. Representing our country will always be one of my proudest and happiest moments."
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"Have decided to retire from playing domestic cricket and IPL to pursue new opportunities and play more cricket.
Now, it seems that LPL won’t be the only overseas league that Shankar will enrol himself on and would look to explore the likes of BPL, Canada T20 league and also the MLC.
Indians to have Played In LPL
BCCI bars active Indian cricketers from playing in overseas leagues, which is why players like Vijay Shankar have to take early retirement to be eligible to feature in foreign tournaments. Now, talking about LPL, in the past, only two cricketers - Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan have played in Lanka Premier League.
Munaf Patel (Kandy Tuskers) and Irfan Pathan (Kandy Tuskers) are participating in the inaugural edition.
How Will Vijay Shankar’s Move To LPL Shape Franchise Cricket?
Abhinav’s Take On It
Vijay Shankar’s move to LPL just four days after announcing IPL retirement has reignited the rumours and debate regarding BCCI’s plan to introduce a cooling-off period. For the unversed, a couple of years ago, players were taking premature retirement, which is when the board thought of a year-long cooling off period.
Notably, in that rule, players wouldn't have been allowed to play in overseas leagues for a year after announcing retirement.
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