Former Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar moved to an overseas franchise as their ‘overseas star’ after announcing his retirement from IPL and Indian domestic cricket. Kandy Royals signed up Vijay Shankar for the 2026 season of the Lanka Premier League.

The tournament format allowed the signing of two overseas players and two Sri Lankan marquee players before the start of the main auction. Thus, Vijay Shankar was quickly drafted in as a marquee group player by the franchise before the player draft took place on June 1. Kandy Royals have also signed Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews and Moeen Ali as part of their marquee group ahead of the draft.

Vijay Shankar had last represented India in the 2019 ODI World Cup in England. Although his career in the national team was of a very short span across mostly 2018 and 2019, he was a well-known name in the domestic circuit, mostly because of his all-around prowess and skills, representing Tamil Nadu.

He scored 223 ODI runs in 12 games at an average of 31.85 and a strike rate of 90.65, and 101 T20I runs in nine matches at 25.25 and 138.35. In his domestic career, he has played 77 first-class career games, scoring 4523 runs and taking 43 wickets. In IPL, he played a total of 78 games representing Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings across various years.

Lanka Premier League teams build strong marquee core before draft

The Lanka Premier League Season 6 player draft is scheduled for June 1 in Colombo, with the tournament running from July 17 to August 8, 2026. Teams have already unveiled a star-studded list of retained and pre-draft marquee signings, featuring major international and local stars.

According to the format, Kandy Royals signed two overseas players, Vijay Shankar(India) and Moeen Ali (England), along with two Sri Lankan marquee players Wanindu Hasaranga and Angelo Mathews, making their core strong before delving into the players' draft.

Defending champions SC Jaffna Kings have made three marquee signings, bringing in Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, along with Sri Lanka’s Dunith Wellalage and Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Galle Gallants have signed Eshan Malinga and Dasun Shanaka, while Colombo Kaps have added Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis.

The five-team tournament is set to start on July 17 after being postponed.