24th August 2021 – Colombo: Sprite, the Coca-Cola Company’s second-largest sparkling beverage brand, is making a refreshing move by officially joining Sri Lanka’s fast-growing Esports community as the “Refreshing Partner” for Gamer.LK’s Esports Premier League (EPL) 2021.
The partnership is in line with Sprite’s goal to make screen time more refreshing and enjoyable as people stay home to protect themselves from the pandemic and seek intense refreshment to sip and reset. Organised by Sri Lanka’s premier Esports company Gamer.LK, EPL 2021 is known to be the country’s largest Esports league and will be held from August to October 2021 adding a cool and refreshing event that will be looked forward to by all gamers. Registration for the qualifiers where the Top 60 gamers in the country will be selected to represent the teams is now open on epl.lk.
To ensure the safety of all players and in keeping with the health guidelines given by the authorities, EPL 2021 will be held remotely, with players joining the tournament from the safety of their homes. Participating from home means that they will have the chance to enjoy the cool and refreshing lemon and lime flavours of Sprite any time they want. In between the thrilling gaming action, which is expected to get hot, they can take a refreshing break by relaxing and enjoying the cool freshness of their Sprite. Soon, they will be fully refreshed and clear about their next move as they strive to beat the fierce competition and come out on top. Sipping on Sprite will help them to look at challenges from a refreshing perspective and after a hard day of gaming action Sprite will also help them unwind and relax.
The franchise based PUBG Mobile league consists of 12 teams based on Sri Lanka’s nine provinces and three others. EPL 2021 is widely considered to be the most-watched Sri Lankan Esports event as over 1,500 Esports athletes compete for a spot in the 12 teams of 5 players each. In a refreshing move that will undoubtedly help to free the spirits of these Esports athletes and inspire them to perform at their best, each team will have the privilege of being guided by Team Mentors who are legendary sports icons such as Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga, Chaminda Vaas, Russel Arnold, T M Dilshan and Angelo Mathews.
EPL 2021 is broken down into 4 phases with teams having to navigate through Open Qualifiers, Team Auction and Play-Offs to claim their place in the Super Weekend and Grand Finals, the final showdown where the top 9 teams battle for the right to be crowned Champions. Teams that reach the Grand Finals will need to refresh, recharge, and reset their spirits with Sprite as they strive to become the best in the country.
Esports has become a global phenomenon and has been growing rapidly in Sri Lanka for the past decade. Esports was recognised by the Sports Ministry of Sri Lanka as a national sport in 2019 and it is estimated that there are approximately 4 million gamers in the country today. Participating in Esports while sipping a cool Sprite helps them to keep their day fresh and exciting as they challenge fellow gamers and seek refreshing moves to emerge victorious.