Shillong, Sep 12: There is a significant question mark over today’s result in the Shillong Premier League 2026, with a protest lodged by Sawmer after they lost the game by a comprehensive 6-1 margin.
The match was completely one-sided, with Lajong taking a 2-0 lead at half time before running away with it in the second half.
Victory would have solidified their hold on top spot in the standings and they would have led nearest rivals Mawlai by 4 points, though having played two extra games.
There was one slight issue.
Lajong used three different out-of-state players in the match – Lakpa Lama started in goal and Lalmuansanga (who scored a hat-trick) and Abelson Jachi came on as substitutes.
According to the widely understood rules of the SPL, teams can only field two out-of-state players in a match. Or can they?
Such a rule was introduced last year, ostensibly to try and reduce chances of match-fixing (which may not have worked, but that’s another story).
However, TSR cannot find mention of the rule in the SPL 2026 regulations. Taking a look at the First Division regs, which were issued for the 2026 edition (beginning next week), the Shillong Sports Association has written under point number 19 that “This regulation specifies that a maximum of two out-of-state (non-Meghalayan) players can be included in a team’s starting lineup (playing eleven) for a match.”
If this is the same rule that applies in the SPL, Lajong don’t seem to have broken it, as they only had one out-of-state player in the starting lineup.
The protest is under consideration by the tournament committee and it is hoped a decision will be announced on Monday.
If the protest goes in Sawmer’s favour, a win by default would lift them to fourth in the standings. It would also deal a body blow to Lajong’s chances of winning the title. A lot, therefore, hangs on the SSA’s decision.