Sports
Gamer.LK announces the Singer Esports Premier League 2021 with Rs. 1 million prize pool
Sri Lanka’s premier Esports company Gamer.LK has announced the Singer Esports Premier League – a franchise based PUBG Mobile league consisting of 12 teams and a prize pool of Rs. 1 million. With over 2,000 Esports athletes expected to compete for a spot in the 12 teams, it is Sri Lanka’s largest Esports league. The event will be held throughout August, September and October of this year. Nine of the franchises are based on the Sri Lankan provinces – Eastern Gladiators, Kadurata Kings, Northern Rangers, Rajarata Giants, Sabaragamuwa Knights, Southern Sharks, Uva Bandits, Wayamba Raiders and Western Warriors.
Esports has been growing at a rapid pace in Sri Lanka over the last decade thanks to Gamer.LK’s consistent efforts in organising tournaments and activities around the sport. There are an estimated four million gamers in the country. Esports was recognised by the Sports Ministry of Sri Lanka as the 70th national sport in 2019.
The Singer Esports Premier League by Gamer.LK will be held completely remotely, with players joining the tournament from the safety of their homes. Esports is a fully digital activity, making it an appropriate sport compatible with the country’s current social distancing and safety guidelines. The league is broken down into four phases;
1) Open Qualifiers, where any gamer in the country can register (epl.lk) and compete. Sri Lanka’s best 60 PUBG Mobile players will be selected from the open qualifier and included in the team auction phase.
2) Team Auction, is where the qualified players are bid on by team managers and recruited. Four players and a substitute player will be recruited for each team.
3) Play-Offs, where the 12 teams battle it out for a place in the super-weekend and grand finals. 4) Super Weekend & Grand Finals – the final showdown where the top nine teams will compete for the Rs. 1 million prize pool and glory!
“The format we have introduced this year enables any gamer across the island to compete and get recruited into one of the 12 franchised teams. With Rs. 1 million up for grabs, and the chance to play with Sri Lanka’s top Esports talent, we’ve created a clear pathway for any aspiring Esports athlete to reach the top and be rewarded for it,” said Raveen Wijayatilake, CEO of Gamer.LK and the founder President of the Sri Lanka Esports Association.
Singer comes onboard this year as the Title Sponsor of the Esports Premier League. Sri Lankans have come to know Singer as the go-to location for durable goods for decades. Singer now takes a bold step forward in catering to the Sri Lankan gaming population to create, maintain and grow their gaming lifestyle – whether you’re an Esports athlete or a casual gamer.
Moose Clothing Company, a big supporter of Sri Lankan Sports, has stepped up to sponsor the Esports league as the Official Clothing partner. Sprite, the Refreshing partner, has come onboard to keep players chilled while they game. 2 high-end Mobile phones are being given away by Sprite during the event for gamers that take part in the Sprite social campaigns held throughout the event. Samsung is the Official Smartphone partner, as players will be competing on mobile devices. Pizza Hut & Taco Bell are the official Food Partners, providing fast delivery of delicious food straight to players’ homes. Dell Gaming, with their lineup of G5, G7 & G15 gaming laptops, is the Gaming Laptop partner. A brand new Dell G15 gaming laptop will be given away during the event. Daraz, another strong supporter of traditional sports, is the Digital Partner for the league.
Gamers interested in taking part can visit epl.lk to register for the open qualifiers. Registrations close on 21st August and qualifiers will begin 28th August.
For the longest time, they were inseparable at the top of the order for Pakistan in T20Is. Then, with questions about strike rates and maximising powerplay value cropping up, the team management tried putting some distance between them in the batting order. They found their way back up, together. But now, with just under a year to go for the next T20 World Cup, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are out altogether.
This signifies a shift in approach for Pakistan, perhaps triggered by the failure to make an impact at their own Champions Trophy, though that was an ODI contest.
Pakistan have opted for three dashers at the top. With Saim Ayub still unavailable, Pakistan have a likely top three of Mohammad Haris, Omair Yousuf and the uncapped Hasan Nawaz – all three have a reputation of being aggressive batters.
Salman Agha, Pakistan’s new T20I captain, has emphasised the need to improve their intent and approach and the need to play “fearless” and “high-risk cricket”, saying that the squad has players that have displayed that brand of cricket in domestic games.
The new-look Pakistan line-up will start off facing a difficult test against a strong New Zealand outfit, even though they are missing key players who are away on IPL duty. There is a formidable bowling attack, with Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy all set to test Pakistan’s inexperience.
Key batters are missing, too, in the team led by Michael Bracewell, one of New Zealand’s best performers in their run to the title round at the Champions Trophy. But Finn Allen is back, as are Tim Seifert and Jimmy Neesham. Daryl Mitchell hasn’t gone anywhere. And Mitchell Hay, Mark Chapman and Tim Robinson are hardly pushovers. At home, they will think of themselves as favourites, with or without a Rachin Ravindra or a Devon Conway or a Glenn Phillips. If anything, the changes will give them a better idea of the make-up of the World Cup squad next year.
Since his 137 against Pakistan in January 2024, Finn Allen has failed to cross 50 in nine T20Is. In fact, he crossed 25 only twice in this period, with a high score of 32. He turned out for Perth Scorchers in the BBL, but his form there was also indifferent, as he got just 181 runs from ten innings. Allen, despite not being centrally contracted, wants to play the T20 World Cup next year, but he knows he must turn his form around and marry his explosiveness with consistency. Last year, he scored 275 runs in the five-match T20I series against Pakistan, so there may not be a better team for him to face to get going again.
Omair Yousuf has played just six T20Is – three in the Asian Games and three in Zimbabwe. Hasan Nawaz has only three PSL games under his belt, and didn’t get a game last season. That makes Mohammad Haris the most experienced player in Pakistan’s new-look top three and the onus will be on him to break the shackles and play the new aggressive brand of cricket the team management is aiming for. It’s also a comeback series for Haris, whose last international game was in September 2023.
Neesham, Seifert and Allen are back in New Zealand’s squad, and Neesham and Allen are likely to start. Sears and O’Rourke are expected to lead the fast-bowling attack, along with Jacob Duffy, who was the highest wicket-taker in New Zealand’s last T20I series, against Sri Lanka.
Apart from Nawaz, Pakistan might also hand a debut to Abdul Samad, who was picked despite having no PSL experience. Shadab Khan is back in the side and should lead the spin attack alongside Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand (probable): Finn Allen, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (capt), Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Will O’Rourke, Jacob Duffy
Pakistan (probable): Mohammad Haris (wk), Omair Yousuf, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt), Abdul Samad, Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi
[Cricinfo]
Royal College defeated S. Thomas’ College by four wickets in the 48th Mustangs Trophy cricket encounter played at the SSC today [15]
Scores:
S. Thomas’ 220 in 49.1 overs
Royal 223/6 in 46.4 overs
Is it 2023 again ? Mumbai Indians [MI] and Delhi Capitals [DC], two consistently good teams with all-star line-ups, meet again in the WPL final. While DC have breezed into the final this season, MI are coming in battle-hardened, having had to take the circuitous route by playing three matches in four days to get there.
DC have been strong in most departments, and have got their selection calls right throughout the season. Their captain Meg Lanning hit form late in the tournament, Shafali Verma has continued to churn out the runs at the top of the other, and the move to promote Jess Jonassen to No. 3 has paid off. But for DC to look more threatening, they’d want their middle order to step up further. Their middle order (Nos. 4 to 7) collectively averages 17.50, the lowest this season, and have struck at 116.66, which is the second-lowest among all teams.
MI’s line-up also drips with power and strength. Powerplay bowling has been one of DC’s strongest suits, but only MI have bettered that. DC’s bowlers have taken 50 wickets at 23.84 in this phase, while MI have 61 wickets at 22.68.
For MI,Nat Sciver-Brunt has been at her brutal best, Hayley Matthews has delivered with both bat and ball, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur has hit high tempo. The rest of the line-up, though, has blown hot and cold.
But MI will be playing at their home ground – a venue where they’ve lost just once in seven games – and that tilts the scales in their favour. DC, though, have had a good seven days break, and will be coming in without the pressure of having had to scramble for a place in the final. Two heartbreaking finals later, will third time be the charm for them?
MI had promoted Amelia Kerr to the opening slot, and pushed Yastika Bhatia down the order for a couple of games. While Yastika was able to make quick runs from her new position, Kerr, who hasn’t been in the best of form with the bat, wasn’t able to capitalise on her starts. The order went back to what it was in the Eliminator against Gujarat Giants (GG), but neither player made an impact. Will MI switch their positions again to get the best out of Yastika?
MI had also brought in left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque in place of Parunika Sisodia for the Eliminator. Will they pick Ishaque again for the final after she bowled just one over against GG?
DC, who were last in action on March 7, are unlikely to make any changes to their line-up.
Mumbai Indians (probable): Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque
Delhi Capitals (probable): Meg Lanning (capt), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce (wk), Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Shikha Pandey, Titas Sadhu
[Cricinfo]
Pakistan face patchwork New Zealand in first test of their new T20 era
Royal defeat S.Thomas’ by 4 wickets in 48th Mustangs Trophy encounter
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