Mumbai:  Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M Ltd.), India’s leading SUV manufacturer has partnered with the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), a cricket league, as their Title Sponsors.

The prestigious League kicks off from August 11 and will be played over three weeks at two venues – Colombo and Kandy. The inaugural edition of this League will feature seven provincial teams in a round-robin league format, with the winners having the distinction of playing in the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) as one of the teams in the qualifiers.

Upali Dharmadasa, President of Sri Lanka Cricket said: “Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is proud and honoured to have on board, one of India's leading business houses as the Title Sponsor of the Sri Lanka Premier League which shall now be referred to as the Mahindra Sri Lanka Premier League (or the “Mahindra SLPL”).

“Since the Mahindra brand is also a household name in Sri Lanka, we believe it is the perfect platform to take the message of the Sri Lanka Premier League, which is "Gama Rata Lokeya, Eka Karana" or "Province, Country, World, Becomes One" to the world,” he added.

S.P. Shukla, President- Group Strategy and Chief Brand Officer, Mahindra Group said: “Sri Lanka is a strategic market for the Mahindra Group which is already an established name in the country and what better medium than cricket to connect and engage with audiences as it is the most followed sport in the sub continent with a fan base of approximately 1.5 billion fans across India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh alone.”

“We are thrilled to be associated with the Sri Lanka Premier League. With the leading lights of world cricket in the fray, we are positive that this League will be a huge success.” said Chief Executive – International Operations (Automobile and Farm Sectors), Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Ruzbeh Irani. “Mahindra has been actively associated with various sporting events and partnering SLPL endorses Mahindra’s commitment to promote a sporting and active lifestyle,” he added.

Sports has always been an integral part of the Mahindra culture. The Group’s association with the Celtic football club, Canadian NASCAR, Moto GP and now the Sri Lanka Premier League underscores its continued commitment to promote sports not only at the grassroots level but also across a global platform. Mahindra looks forward to an enduring partnership with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.

Twenty20 fans across the globe are set for a treat with the likes of dazzling West Indian batsman, Chris Gayle and swashbuckling Pakistani all-rounder, Shahid Afridi headlining a list of several overseas stars who will feature in the League which will conclude on August 31. Pakistani off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal, Australians Brad Hodge and Dirk Nannes. Tamim Iqbal from Bangladesh and West Indies batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Jacob Oram and Scott Styris from New Zealand are some of the other major international players who will star in the inaugural edition which will also see Sri Lanka’s very own big guns like Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardena, and Lasith Malinga in action.

There will be 24 games in the Mahindra Sri Lanka Premier League and each team will be allowed a maximum of 18 players. Teams will be allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players per game with the remaining being local players. The Man of the Match in all 24 matches will receive the title of “Mahindra Man of the Match” while the ‘Man of the Tournament’ will win himself an XUV5OO.