Daraz

Lanka Premier League pens deal with Daraz as Exclusive Digital Streaming Partner for 2021 season

by with No Comment Media Release

Continuing the excitement of cricket and taking local cricket to the next level, Lanka Premier League has signed with Daraz as Exclusive Digital Streaming Partner for the upcoming 2021 season which will be played between 5th December to 23rd December. Through this partnership, the fans will get an opportunity to all to watch the LPL matches live and for free on Daraz streaming application. Daraz also announced its partnership as the Associate Sponsor for the Lanka Premier League.

The largest online shopping platform in the country, Daraz launched Daraz Live in September this year; Sri Lanka’s first in-app shoppable livestream feature, introducing the concept of shoppertainment to its users. The LPL will be streamed via Daraz Live, creating one online platform for all cricket fans to watch the tournament.  

Commenting on the partnership, Heshan Perera, Head of Marketing for Daraz Sri Lanka stated, “Sri Lanka is a cricket nation, revered and followed by those from all walks of lives. Our partnership with the Lanka Premier League enables us to enhance the experience of Daraz users by bringing entertainment in the form of live sports on an OTT platform. This partnership also strengthens our commitment to our customers, as we give them an opportunity to watch the game they love in a medium that is closer to them, as well as our commitment towards Sri Lanka cricket.” 

“We are pleased to share the Digital streaming rights of Lanka Premier League with Daraz. As the official rights holder for the LPL including global media rights, the IPG Group continues to innovate and push towards sports excellence in the way that it is presented to the world. With over 350,000 daily users on Daraz, we are confident that this partnership will give LPL a high reach of viewership across Sri Lanka,” added Anil Mohan, Chief Executive Officer of IPG Group. 

The partnership with LPL is part of Daraz’s marketing strategy to accelerate the growth of the brand through association with high-profile sports, and a continuation of Daraz’s sponsorship as overseas tour partner to the Sri Lanka national cricket team. With the huge following that cricket has in Sri Lanka, it presents an effective platform for Daraz to engage with the nation’s passionate fans and drive the brand to the next level, while giving Daraz users a new platform to enjoy the game they love. 

Brands in Sri Lanka will be able to advertise on Daraz during the live stream of LPL 2021. With an ever growing digital audience base in the country, this will be a great opportunity for all brands to be part of LPL and build strong customer sentiment with millions of viewers.

Jaffna-TJ-Moores-out-by-Kandy-Gunaratnec-Kady

Safexpay Founder & CEO Ravi Gupta and Vernost Director Pankaj Tripathi – new owners of Kandy LPL franchise

by with No Comment Media Release

Colombo: The Lanka Premier League Kandy franchise has new owners as Safexpay Founder & CEO Ravi Gupta and Vernost Director Pankaj Tripathi enters the second season of the premier T20 tournament of the Island Nation by acquiring the Kandy-based franchise in the tournament.

Ravi Gupta is the founder and CEO of Safexpay, which is a Mumbai-headquartered fintech focused on solving problems for businesses who need to either accept online payments from or make payouts to various stakeholders. Safexpay has a strong presence in India, UAE and Singapore.

Speaking about entering the LPL, Gupta said, “The Lanka Premier League garnered a lot of interest from some of the biggest stars and the cricket fans from around the world in the first season and therefore I am absolutely delighted to enter the tournament as the co-owner of the Kandy franchise this year. The Lanka Premier League is certainly going to grow and evolve into one of the most sought-after T20 leagues in the world and I am very excited to be a part of the success of the tournament in the upcoming years.”

Pankaj Tripathi is the director of Vernost Technologies LLC which consult and help customers build, manage, develop and support complex & new generation business applications for end-customer & trade. Solutions such as customer-first, mobile-first, AI-first, commerce-first have been successfully delivered by the company in domains of Customer Engagement Solutions, Digital Payment, Online marketplace, Ecommerce Services, Online Travel Technology & Digital Distribution.

Speaking about the new venture, Tripathi said, “We are ecstatic to be a part of the Lanka Premier League as the co-owner of the Kandy franchise. The LPL has caught the imagination of cricket fans from around the world and we wanted to be a part of the amazing competition in the upcoming seasons. We are eagerly looking forward to engaging with the fans and having a cracker of a season.”

Welcoming the new owners, Mr Anil Mohan, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, said, “It’s a huge honour and privilege for me to welcome Safexpay Founder and CEO Mr Ravi Gupta and Vernost Director Pankaj Tripathi as the owners of the Kandy franchise. I am certain that their passion for the game will bolster the Kandy franchise and also attract more fans to the Lanka Premier League in the upcoming seasons.”

The new owners of the Kandy franchise are expecting to construct a strong team for the second season of the LPL in the Player’s Draft, which is set to be held on 27 October 2021. Gupta said, “We will certainly try to acquire a well-balanced team in the Player’s Draft.” While, Tripathi expressed, “Hopefully the team performs to the best of its ability in the season and garners the desired results.”

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 Giants) ($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.

About Safexpay

 Safexpay is a Mumbai-headquartered fintech focussed on solving problems for businesses who need to either accept online payments from or make payouts to various stakeholders. The company also specializes in making its platform available to other merchant acquirers such as banks, financial institutions, fintechs & international clients making it the leader in B2B2B white labelled payments.

About Vernost

 Vernost Technologies LLC consult and help Customers Build, Manage, Develop and Support complex & new generation business applications for End-Customer & Trade. Solutions such as Customer-First, Mobile-First, AI-First, Commerce-First have been successfully delivered by the Company in domains of Customer Engagement Solutions, Digital Payment, Online marketplace, Ecommerce Services, Online Travel Technology & Digital Distribution. From a Technology Innovation standpoint, we have been the earliest adopters and have an established practice on AI, Blockchain, Commerce, Analytics & Cloud.