Cycle, Daraz ride on Sri Lanka cricket to expand horizons

As Sri Lanka takes on South Africa on home soil, Cycle Incense and Daraz were unveiled as the Title Sponsor and the Powered By Sponsor respectively for the series at a press conference on 1st September. The limited overs series, consisting of 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is commenced on 2nd September, with the hosts recording a fine win. With the upcoming ICC World T20, this series is of prime importance, especially as a tune up for the Sri Lankan Cricket Team who will have to play in the qualifiers. 

Cycle Incense is continuing upon their long-standing association with cricket in the region going as far back as 2012. Over the past decade, Cycle has become a leading incense brand owing to its strong connection with cricket. 

Daraz is a leading South Asian e-commerce brand operating in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan. They have already had forays into cricket collaborating with teams in the PSL and the BCB for the Bangladesh Cricket Team.

Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Incense:

“We believe that cricket unifies the nation. As a brand, we stand for hope and the pursuit of well-being and cricket as a sport actually personifies that. Once you get on the field, everybody is the same and all 11 players need to contribute to achieve the greater good for the team. It has been a fantastic experience for us being associated with cricket all these years and we continue to support Sri Lankan cricket to the best of our ability because it is a young team driven by passion and they’re looking forward to the better Sri Lanka that is going to come going forward.”

Rakhil Fernando, Managing Director, Daraz – Sri Lanka:

“We have taken a very strategic decision as a group in all our markets to really support local cricket. For us, Sri Lanka was really the first foray into cricket sponsorship last year as a group and we have had a very positive experience. We really want to be associated with something that is truly Sri Lankan as a platform that connects Sri Lankan sellers to Sri Lankan buyers. So we think it’s the ideal association for us as a brand since everyone throughout the nation (Sri Lanka) has a strong affinity to cricket. It has really helped us grow our visibility as a company that is truly connected and rooted to Sri Lanka.”

Echoing these thoughts, Mr. Ranga also added:

“Cricket gives immediate visibility and amazing reach. For us, as a brand, we are known as Cycle Incense and people do not immediately connect it with incense. For us, cricket has helped us bridge that gap overnight by being visible across Lanka Premier League and sponsoring cricket."

ITW Consulting, one of the leading sports consulting firms, consulted the brands on the associations with Sri Lanka Cricket and in addition to these, ITW has also on-boarded brands such as FairPlay News, Indica Easy, PlayerzPot, Sampath Bank, WePay by Sampath Bank, Redbull, Munchee and Cargills for the series.