Lancashire will start their campaign in the County Championship next year on April 3 against Northamptonshire.

James Anderson apointed as the captain for the Lancashire team. They had a big change before the 2026 County Championship season. The legendary fast bowler, who retired from international cricket in 2024, will now lead Lancashire as he turns 44. His goal is to help the team return to Division One.
Lancashire had a tough season in 2025, so the team had many changes to comeback 2026. Keaton Jennings who was last season captain for Lancashire. He stepped down as captain and head coach Dale Benkenstein also left after poor results. Former player Steven Croft, who retired in 2024, became the new head coach and chose his long-time teammate Anderson to lead the side.
Anderson replaces Keaton Jennings as captain, who stepped down from the role in May last year. Despite retiring from international cricket in July 2024 with a record 704 Test wickets to his name, the 43-year-old has showed no signs of retiring from domestic cricket. In last year's Championship campaign, Anderson picked up 17 wickets at an average of almost 26 in six matches.
"Captaining Lancashire for the first time last season was a huge privilege, and I'm honoured to take on the role full-time heading into the new season. We've got a fantastic group of players, a great blend of youth and experience, and I'm excited about what we can achieve together with promotion back to Division One our number one priority," Anderson said.
Lancashire will start their campaign in the County Championship next year on April 3 against Northamptonshire.