Casually strolling down the sidelines during most of team Kandy Tuskers’ matches in the inaugural My11Circle Lanka Premier League 2020 with a genuine smile on his face is the languid and charismatic figure of a man that has brought in a wealth of experience and expertise in view of making Kandy Tuskers and the LPL T20 reach global heights.
Mr. Abbas Muni is no stranger to sport and entertainment. Having previously served as the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Research at Sony Entertainment Television, Mr. Abbas Muni, one of the co-owners of team Kandy Tuskers, is currently the Director of Orange Advertising which has been a
sensation among sports, Bollywood, and entertainment clientele around the globe. Vocal about his thoughts on why the LPL interested him and his fellow co-owners, Mr. Abbas Muni was excited about the new venture in Sri Lanka. “(This is a) ‘wow’ opportunity! If you get an opportunity like this, you’re surely not going to miss out”, he said, “(we thought) let’s pick it up before anybody else. We wouldn’t have ever lost this chance to get involved with LPL!”
The Lanka Premier League has kicked off its inaugural season this year amidst the CoViD-19 pandemic. While several doubts persisted around the implementation of the tournament, investors were among those who were most uncertain. The co-owners of Kandy Tuskers were facing the same dilemma too. “It is unbelievable that we pulled it through. From the time we landed here (in Sri Lanka) to see the first ball being bowled, I never believed it was actually going to happen in this situation”, Mr. Abbas Muni admitted with a smile of excitement and relief.
A major share of team Kandy Tuskers is under the investment of Mr. Sohail Khan, who is a Bollywood actor, director, and producer. “He wants to come and enjoy this whole scenario, but the quarantine situation is holding him back”, Mr. Abbas Muni added. With a wealth of expectations behind the scenes, LPL T20 has turned the eyes of several investors and celebrities who are looking to establish their brands in the island nation, as evident through investments by leaders of the sports and entertainment industry in several franchises of the LPL T20.
Mr. Abbas Muni was considerate at the experience of LPL T20 this year. When asked if they would like to plan big for the next year as the planning this year may have been hindered by the uncertainty surrounding the tournament as he himself admitted, he responded positively. “Of course! We are going to see how the first season goes”, he responded, “then, (we will) immediately go through the post mortem for the first season and start planning for the next”.
Lanka Premier League T20 has been a long-awaited event for those in Sri Lanka. Having seen numerous T20 leagues around the world take off to flying starts and eventually identify and produce a number of quality cricketers for their nations, Sri Lankans were in dire need of one such marquee initiative. My11Cirlcle LPL T20 is underway amidst testing circumstances in the country, but when things settle, it will only get better. In a few years’ time, as Sri Lankans, we would be able to boast of an internationally anticipated global T20 league of our own. Backed by the state and international sponsors, LPL T20 is here to stay. Let’s #WinTogether. (kandylpl.)