Colombo: Winner of the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Jaffna Stallions have a new owner as Sri Lanka-born British entrepreneur, Allirajah Subaskaran, enters the second season of the premier T20 tournament of the Island Nation by acquiring the Jaffna-based franchise in the tournament.
Speaking about the new venture, Mr Subaskaran said, “I have been observing the gradual growth of the LPL. It has turned out to be a spectacular sporting event, and I believe that the LPL can become a major event in the cricketing calendar. Many Sri Lankans globally look forward to this tournament, with better funding and drafting of bigger names, the league is bound to be a global phenomenon, and I don’t want to be left out of the party.”
Mr Allirajah Subaskaran is the founder and chairman of Lyca Group of companies in the UK, and the group has been diversifying its businesses in the South Asian region with a strong presence in India and Sri Lanka, making their venture into the LPL, a well-calculated move. When asked why he chose the Jaffna team, Mr Allirajah Subaskaran said: “Well, it makes sense to put your money on the team that won last year, and, I do have some sentimental attachments to the North of the Island.”
Welcoming the new owner, Mr Anil Mohan, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to welcome on board Lyca Group Chairman Mr Allirajah Subaskaran as the owner of the Jaffna franchise. I am sure that his love and passion for the game will enable him to connect with the team and engage the fans and all its stakeholders going forward.”
Mr Jawad Ghulam Rasool, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, said, “We at the IPG group recognize that it takes many individuals whether in management, players or franchise owners to put together a league that we can be proud of, a league like LPL. We would like to welcome Jaffna franchise owner Mr Allirajah Subaskaran, chairman of the LYCA Group to the LPL community and look forward to growing stronger together
With the LPL Player’s Draft scheduled for next month, the new owner of the Jaffna franchise expects to rope in some big international and local stars. He said, that like last year, he’s confident of having a very competitive team this year too.
The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) which was played in a bio-secure bubble at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota from November 26 till December 16, 2020, reached a cumulative audience of 557 million people through TV, digital-social space, and traditional media outlets. Sponsors enjoyed a media evaluation (visibility) of $54.5m and title sponsor MY11CIRCLE enjoyed a ROI of 9.85x. Winner of the first edition of LPL Jaffna Stallions tops the valuation chart with $3.98m followed by Galle Gladiators ($3.82m), Dambulla Viikings (Now Dambulla Gaints) ($3.54m) Colombo Kings ($3.44m) and Kandy Tuskers ($3.19m).
The LPL matches which were telecast live by Sky Sports, Sony Sports Network, Geo, PTV, and Willow TV in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand saw 155 million people tuning in to catch live action. On social media, it achieved a reach of 218 million and LPL found 133478 mentions as the league came alive with each and every match with some scintillating performances on the ground.