Dambulla Sixers rope in Sahibzada Farhan as 'icon player' for LPL 2026

KARACHI: Pakistan opening batter Sahibzada Farhan has been signed by the Dambulla Sixers as their icon player for the upcoming sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026.

The team confirmed the signing on social media following Farhan’s exceptional performances for Pakistan in the recently concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, as well as his impressive campaign in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11.

“Icon Player Alert! Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan is locked in for the upcoming LPL season as the Icon Player for Dambulla Sixers,” the franchise wrote in its announcement.

The right-handed batter has emerged as one of Pakistan’s most dominant performers in the shorter format. 

Farhan finished as the leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2026 with 383 runs in seven matches at an outstanding average of 76.60 and a strike-rate of 160.25, including two fifties and two centuries.

He also became the first batter to score two centuries in a single T20 World Cup edition and broke Virat Kohli’s previous record for the most runs in a single edition of the tournament. 

Kohli had scored 319 runs, while Tim Seifert and Sanju Samson currently occupy the second and third spots with 326 and 321 runs respectively.

Farhan has represented Pakistan in 46 T20 Internationals, scoring 1,305 runs at an average of 30.34 and a strike-rate of 136.64, with 10 half-centuries and two hundreds to his name.

The opener also possesses significant franchise cricket experience. In the PSL, he has featured in 44 matches, scoring 1,286 runs at a strike-rate of 142.25, including eight fifties and two centuries. 

He also enjoyed a decent campaign in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) while representing Rajshahi Warriors, scoring 185 runs in nine matches with one fifty.

Meanwhile, the LPL 2026 is scheduled to begin on July 17 with a repeat of the 2024 final between reigning champions Jaffna and runners-up Galle.

The opening match will be played under lights at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, which recently hosted its first T20 International during this year’s T20 World Cup.

The tournament will run until August 8, with matches set to be played across four international venues in Sri Lanka.