The Jaffna Kings will continue their Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 campaign despite their franchise rights being terminated by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and tournament organiser Innovative Production Group (IPG) over financial and contractual breaches. The decision, announced on Thursday, sees all franchise rights revert to IPG, which, alongside SLC, has assumed complete operational control of the four-time champions to ensure the tournament proceeds without disruption.Why Was the Franchise Terminated?According to SLC and IPG, the franchise owners failed to fulfil their financial obligations under the franchise agreement. The termination comes in the middle of the tournament following a series of controversies surrounding the ownership group, Sports Commune.Co-owner Manjot Kalra was arrested over corruption-related allegations, while another owner, Mayank Goel, has become unreachable. The ownership group also allegedly failed to pay player and staff salaries and mismanaged sponsor funds, leading to the cancellation of the franchise agreement.As a result, IPG and SLC have taken direct control of the team's operations. Despite the ownership shake-up, the Jaffna Kings will continue under the same name with their existing squad, coaching staff and support personnel.IPG assures stabilityIPG CEO Anil Mohan stressed that safeguarding the tournament's integrity remained the organisers' top priority."While this was a difficult decision, our priority has always been to protect the integrity of the Lanka Premier League and ensure complete stability for our players, coaches, partners and fans. Together with Sri Lanka Cricket, we have acted swiftly to ensure the Jaffna Kings continue to participate in the tournament without disruption. We want to assure everyone that all operational matters, including player contracts, staff commitments and team logistics, are being managed seamlessly. The sixth edition of the LPL will proceed as planned, and we remain fully committed to delivering another successful and world-class tournament," Anil Mohan said. On the field, the Bhanuka Rajapaksa-led Jaffna Kings have made a positive start to their campaign, winning two of their first three matches. The sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League began on July 17 and is scheduled to conclude on August 8.