"We as Mahindra Group have accepted the offer to be the title sponsor of Sri Lanka Premier League, which will be played in the T20 format," Mahindra & Mahindra president group strategy and chief brand officer S P Shukla told reporters here.
The debut edition of the SLPL is scheduled to commence from August 11, with the final to be held on August 31. The matches would be played at Colombo and Kandy.
The auto group, which has been associated with the Celtic Football club and Moto GP said this initiative marks its entry to cricket.
"From a former Sri Lankan cricketer's point of view an association with a brand such as Mahindra has given this tournament and also cricket in Sri Lanka such a boost, that words can never explain how important it is going to be for future of Sri Lankan cricket and also for the younger generation of Sri Lanka," former Sri Lanka batting great Aravinda De Silva, who was invited by the Mahindra Group said.
De Silva pointed that the tournament will be telecast in South America and parts of US, which is an important market for Mahindra.
The company, however, declined to divulge the financial aspect of the deal and Shukla said it should be in crores and will be a multi-year tie-up.
"Such sponsorship is of great value to the nation and also for a country such as Sri Lanka where we have a long lasting tie with India. The younger generation is going to benefit very much. (MORE)