Kandy Musings by Hafiz Marikar
Kriket lowa kalambaa, pitiya yali sarasaa
Ekwa jaya gamu, lowama jaya gamu
Sinha nada pathura,
It’s the battle of the champions, it’s the glory of the nation,
It’s a celebration, it’s a revolution
You can feel it every way
The above is the first few lines of the Bhathiya and Santhush (B&S) Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020 theme song.
Kaale hondai den, vaadaa macha,
Bole kepei den, gahamu machan…
This is the official team song of the Jaffna Stallions franchise which eventually lifted the inaugural LPL trophy on a glorious night on Wednesday (16) at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota.
Jaffna Stallions beat Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final on Wednesday night under lights.
[caption id="attachment_109546" align="alignleft" width="436"]
Lahiru Perera (left) of La Signore fame featuring in Jaffna Stallions’ official team song, Vaadaa Macha[/caption]
It would have been an ecstatic moment for the franchise owners Anandan Arnold and Rahul Sood, former GM (General Manager) of Microsoft Ventures and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Unikrn, respectively.
The team featured “genuine” Jaffna boys, Kanagarathinam Kabilraj, Theivendiram Dinoshan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, and Sebastianpillai Vijeyaraj alias "Kilinochchi Express", who is said to have been found by a local TV documentary group at Kilinochchi itself.
[caption id="attachment_109547" align="alignright" width="300"]
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth being congratulated by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa after the LPL finals on Wednesday (16)[/caption]
LPL 2020 became success in the most tricky of circumstances. Nobody would have expected such glorious success overall, financially as well as public-response wise.
Its detractors were accusing Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its events rights holders Innovative Production Group (IPG) under Anil Mohan, for taking an unnecessary risk during a debilitating pandemic. The opposition was to rake Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa over the coals for joining SLC and IPG in the eleventh hour to get government approval for the tournament.
There were couple of hiccups initially when players and staffers tested positive for Covid-19. There were fears on the financial front too. Yet the eventual success was that it has created a timely boost for cricket, sports, as well as the overall mood of the sports-loving public in the island. Well done boys!
But the most cherished memory of the inaugural LPL is for the Jaffna boys. They earned a much-needed kick-start for their cricket and soon the northerners would be a force to reckon with, in the national and international stage.
Time is ripe, vaadaa macha!
Lahiru Perera (left) of La Signore fame featuring in Jaffna Stallions’ official team song, Vaadaa Macha[/caption]
It would have been an ecstatic moment for the franchise owners Anandan Arnold and Rahul Sood, former GM (General Manager) of Microsoft Ventures and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Unikrn, respectively.
The team featured “genuine” Jaffna boys, Kanagarathinam Kabilraj, Theivendiram Dinoshan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, and Sebastianpillai Vijeyaraj alias "Kilinochchi Express", who is said to have been found by a local TV documentary group at Kilinochchi itself.
[caption id="attachment_109547" align="alignright" width="300"] Vijayakanth Viyaskanth being congratulated by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa after the LPL finals on Wednesday (16)[/caption]
LPL 2020 became success in the most tricky of circumstances. Nobody would have expected such glorious success overall, financially as well as public-response wise.
Its detractors were accusing Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its events rights holders Innovative Production Group (IPG) under Anil Mohan, for taking an unnecessary risk during a debilitating pandemic. The opposition was to rake Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa over the coals for joining SLC and IPG in the eleventh hour to get government approval for the tournament.
There were couple of hiccups initially when players and staffers tested positive for Covid-19. There were fears on the financial front too. Yet the eventual success was that it has created a timely boost for cricket, sports, as well as the overall mood of the sports-loving public in the island. Well done boys!
But the most cherished memory of the inaugural LPL is for the Jaffna boys. They earned a much-needed kick-start for their cricket and soon the northerners would be a force to reckon with, in the national and international stage.
Time is ripe, vaadaa macha!