Galle Marvels and Moratu Marvels launched in grand style
Sri Lanka’s capital witnessed the launch of the newly announced franchise of Lanka Premier League (LPL) fifth edition for the region of Galle renamed Galle Marvels during a launch held at the Shangri-La in Colombo. The event was graciously conducted amid the presence of the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka Harin Fernando, Chairman of Tournament Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, Samantha Dodanwela, IPG Group Founder and CEO, Anil Mohan.
The event also had presence of legendary cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya along with some proven cricketers and member of the executive committee from Sri Lanka Cricket. The event was organised by the owners of the new franchise Galle Marvels, Prem Thakkar, Malav Patel, Neil Patel, and Himanshu Patel.
“This time Galle will come even stronger as Galle Marvels, I’m sure they will make a huge impact at the LPL. Since its birth in 2020, LPL has conducted four editions without disruption. Cricket is no more a game which is played for the love of it, it has become a profession now. Entrepreneurs coming forward to support Sri Lanka cricket will no doubt help younger cricketers to perform their capabilities to the globe,” Dodanwela, the Chairman of Tournament Committee of SLC noted during his speech.
The event was organised to reveal the logo and official jersey along with the theme song for Galle Marvels of LPL. The team also announced that former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener as the Head Coach of Galle Marvels along with the signing of foreign icon player Alex Hales from England. The event also included the revealing of the second franchise from the same owners for the upcoming inaugural Lanka T10 League which is scheduled to be held in December.
Dodanwela, while complimenting the entry of the Marvels Group to LPL, went on to explain the similarities between sports and business, stating that individuals in sports and business or corporates always thrive to do well in what they do.
“As a youngster one wants to play for your school, then join a good club and then represent the country. Once getting to the top their visions are bigger, like entrepreneurs. One must not forget the motivation and the values. The world has transformed into a performance oriented culture. In the corporate world the CEOs are compelled to perform, likewise the cricketers cannot give excuses for failures. You have to perform and the remuneration has to be based on performances, be it sports or business. But if you want to be success in any field, one must follow the three Ds — discipline, determination and dedication. That was an important advice given to me by my father when I was a schoolboy cricketer at Trinity College,” Dodanwela added.
Moratu Marvels will be the second franchise of the Marvels in the shortest format of the game. Moratu Marvels will be coached by the master blaster, Sanath Jayasuriya. The event witnessed the revealing of the team logo, team jersey, and team song at the event for Moratu Marvels.
Sri Lanka’s greatest ODI fast bowler, Lasith Malinga penned the words for both the Galle Marvels and Moratu Marvels team songs. It was Malinga’s first being involved in the production of cricket team songs.
The franchise owners also expressed their plans beyond the competitions to promote local cricket talents for the two regions, Galle and Moratuwa. They have shown keen interest in undertaking social responsibility in promoting the game to the locals as well as substantially creating a platform for the talents from the region for being future faces in sports bringing fame to the country.