Overview
- Sri Lanka Cricket announced the two rule changes and held the player draft in Colombo on Monday, June 1, with all five franchises completing squads built around the new regulations.
- The Impact Player rule allows one pre‑named substitute to replace a starter and take a full part in batting, bowling and fielding during a match, effectively letting teams use a twelfth specialist.
- The mandatory Under‑23 requirement specifies eligibility as players born on or after July 1, 2003, and the chosen U‑23 must remain in the playing XI even after an impact substitution is made.
- More than 650 players registered, 421 were shortlisted for the draft and franchises selected 97 players overall, while marquee signings included Avishka Fernando, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Vijay Shankar.
- Organisers confirmed a mid‑July start with matches in Colombo, Dambulla and Pallekele from around July 17, and teams face further disruption from a small U‑23 talent pool plus reported fitness issues for Pathum Nissanka and Matheesha Pathirana.