Former India allrounder Vijay Shankar has been signed up by Kandy Royals as their ‘overseas star’ ahead of the Lanka Premier League 2026 season.

Shankar was part of marquee signings made by Kandy Royals, which also included England allrounder Moeen Ali (overseas icon) and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (local icon) and Angelo Mathews (local star).

Shankar had, on May 22, announced his retirement from Indian domestic cricket and the IPL “to pursue new opportunities and play more cricket”, and the LPL is set to be his first stop.

Previously, Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel represented the Kandy franchise, then known as Kandy Tuskers, in the inaugural LPL edition in 2020.

This will be the first season of the LPL since 2024, after Sri Lanka Cricket decided to ‘postpone’ the 2025 season to focus on preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka co-hosted with India.

Shakib Al Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan and James Neesham are some of the other big names who were part of the marquee signings list in the LPL ahead of the player draft, which is scheduled for June 1 in Colombo.

Neesham and Australia’s Ben McDermott will turn out for Colombo Kaps, alongside Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis, while Dambulla Sixers signed Farhan and Reeza Hendricks as their overseas picks. South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen has joined Galle Gallants as their only overseas marquee pick, to go with Dasun Shanaka and Eshan Malinga. Dending champions Jaffna Kings signed the Bangladesh duo of Shakib and Taskin. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dunith Wellalage are the Kings’ local signings.

The LPL 2026 season is set to begin on July 17, with the final scheduled for August 18.