The Jaffna franchise of the Lanka Premier League has been acquired by Anchor Sports AB, a Stockholm-based sports ownership group, with former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan coming in as a co-owner.

The team, previously known as the Jaffna Kings, has been rebranded as the Anchor Jaffna Kings. Nagendra Siddoutam, who owns Anchor Sports, has taken over the franchise alongside Zaheer as part of the group’s expansion in global cricket.

Anchor Sports already owns the Antwerp Anchors in Belgium’s European T20 Premier League and the Vancouver Anchors men’s and women’s teams in Canada’s Super 60 League.

Jaffna are currently in the top two of the LPL points table.

An ownership crisis resolved mid-season

The takeover closes a turbulent chapter for the competition’s most successful side. The LPL terminated the franchise agreement with the previous owners, Sports Commune, in late July, citing breaches of the anti-corruption and integrity provisions of the contract. That followed the arrest of co-owner Manjot Kalra, a former India Under-19 batter, by a special police unit investigating match-fixing on the opening day of the 2026 season, and the franchise’s failure to meet financial obligations — players had taped over sponsor logos on their jerseys during one fixture.

Sri Lanka Cricket and Innovative Production Group, the tournament’s event rights partner, had since been running the team directly to keep it operating for the rest of the tournament.

Anil Mohan, Chairman and Chief Executive of Innovative Production Group, said the incoming owners were taking over “the iconic Jaffna franchise,” describing it as “a legendary team in the six-year history of the league, winning four championship titles and setting the benchmark for excellence.” He said he was confident Anchor Sports would “build on this remarkable legacy” and bring fresh vision to the side.

Zaheer, one of India’s leading fast bowlers across a long international career, said he had “always admired the calibre, innovation and variety of bowling talent that comes out of Sri Lanka,” calling it a country he had visited, competed in and held fond memories of, and said becoming an owner in Sri Lankan cricket was something he was genuinely excited by.

The Daily Mirror was the only verified newsroom to report the acquisition at the time of writing.