Govt slashes Green Park fee as UP T20 League returns to Knp

Kanpur: With a winner’s prize of Rs 1 crore at stake, the fourth edition of the UP T20 League will be held at Green Park Stadium from August 14 to September 6, 2026.

Addressing mediapersons on Wednesday, UP T20 League chairman Sanjay Kapoor said six franchises, Kanpur Super Stars, Lucknow Falcons, Meerut Mavericks, Kashi Rudras, Gorakhpur Lions and Noida Kings, will compete in 34 matches during the 24-day tournament. He said franchises will be allowed to retain between six and 12 players to maintain continuity while ensuring balance in the squads.

Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, Prem Manohar Gupta, said, “In the inaugural season, UPCA was charged more than Rs 10 crore for Green Park Stadium, which forced the association to shift the league to Lucknow.”

“For this season, Rajeev Shukla raised the issue with Yogi Adityanath, who accepted the request and reduced the ground fee to less than Rs 1 crore,” he said.

“We express our sincere thanks to the chief minister. This will help us organise the tournament in a much better way,” Gupta added.

Each team of the league will consist of 23 to 25 players, including a mix of auction picks and locally sourced talent. The purse for each franchise has been fixed at Rs 1.25 crore. The transfer window will remain open from June 1 to June 15, while the trial window will run from June 1 to June 30, 2026.

According to the schedule, Kashi Rudras will conduct trials from June 1 to 5, followed by Meerut Mavericks from June 6 to 10. Lucknow Falcons will hold trials from June 11 to 15, and Gorakhpur Lions from June 16 to 20. Noida Kings will conduct trials from June 21 to 25, while Kanpur Super Stars will hold their trials from June 26 to 30.