91st Annual Ananda-Nalanda ‘Battle of the Maroons’ powered by Dialog Axiata

From left: Ananda College Captain Kanishka Ranthilakage; Ananda, Match Committee Acting Co-Chairman Lal Hewagama, Ananda College Principal S.M. Keerthirathna, Dialog Finance Plc Director/Chief Executive Officer Asanga Priyadarshana, Nalanda College Principal Thilak Waththuhewa, Nalanda, Match Committee Co-Chairman Mohan Gunadasa and Nalanda College Captain Avishka Perera 

Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider Dialog Axiata Plc extended its sponsorship for the third consecutive year to the 91st Battle of the Maroons, the annual cricketing encounter between Ananda College, Colombo and Nalanda College, Colombo, to be played at the SSC grounds on 7 and 8 March for the Dr. N.M. Perera Memorial Challenge Trophy. 

As the most celebrated big match rivalry amongst public schools in Sri Lanka, the ‘Battle of the Maroons’ is now worked out with much fanfare amidst a carnival atmosphere and many attractions for the entertainment of all family members of past students, while the game continues to be played with rich traditions and at the highest standard that this encounter is well known for.

The One-Day encounter between the two schools, played for the Kularatne Trophy, will see them go head-to-head at the same venue on 15 March.

For the 2020 encounter, the lads from Ananda College will be led by batsman Kanishka Ranthilakage, while the boys from Nalanda will battle it out under the captaincy of wicketkeeper-batsman Avishka Perera.

The two schools have the distinction of having contributed several players to the national team. Sri Lanka’s first Test cricket captain Bandula Warnapura donned the cricket cap for Nalanda College in 1968, while Arjuna Ranatunga, who led the Sri Lankans in the famous World Cup-winning team in 1996, hails from Ananda College.

Ananda College and Nalanda College, the two premier Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka, have produced over 55 national cricketers who have represented Sri Lanka in international cricket. Roshan Mahanama, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena and Dinesh Chandimal also have the honour and distinction of leading the Sri Lankan team. 

The first half-century, the first century and also the first double-century for Sri Lanka in Test cricket were scored by three Anandians Arjuna Ranatunga (1982), Sidath Wettimuny (1982) and Brendon Kuruppu (1986). Incidentally, Kuruppu is the only wicketkeeper in the history of Test cricket to score a double hundred on debut. 

Other notable Anandians and Nalandians to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level include Ajith De Silva, Chandika Hathurusinghe, Avishka Gunawardane, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilan Wijesinghe, Lalith Kaluperuma, Anura Ranasinghe, Yohan Gunasekera, Kumar Dharmasena and Asanka Gurusinghe among many others.

Former Sri Lanka Skipper Mahela Jayawardene, who hails from Nalanda, holds the unique honour of becoming the first Sri Lankan to complete 10,000 runs in Tests and One Day International Cricket.

Apart from such brilliant players, Ananda and Nalanda have also gifted the country excellent cricket administrators, elite cricket umpires, respected match referees, leading sports media personnel and very importantly talented commentators with brilliant oratorical skills, especially Sinhala commentators such as the late Karunaratne Abeysekara, Premasara Epasinghe and Palitha Perera, who were instrumental in popularising the game throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Dialog Axiata is the proud sponsor of the Sri Lanka national cricket, rugby, volleyball and netball teams. The company also has close association with the President’s Gold Cup Volleyball, Junior National and Senior National Netball tournaments, club rugby, Premier Football, schools’ cricket, junior volleyball and Paralympic sports by powering the Army Para Games, National Para Games and the Sri Lankan contingent to the Olympic and World Paralympic Games.