Sri Lanka gears up for 7th edition of Red Bull Campus Cricket

The only global T20 cricket tournament for university students, the seventh edition of Red Bull Campus Cricket (RBCC) is soon to begin in Sri Lanka. 

Commencing on 19 June at BRC and Colts Cricket grounds, the National tournament will bring together players and spectators from around the country amidst an atmosphere of feverish excitement.

This international cricket tournament provides the ideal opportunity for young cricketers to represent their university and thus gain an opportunity to further represent their country on an international level at the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals.

Red Bull recognised the importance of developing an international platform for campus cricket around the world. A highly revered sport in Sri Lanka, cricket is played with an unmatched passion and is a game for both body and mind. Globally, Red Bull is a preferred choice by leading sportsmen who recognise the importance of enhancing both the mind and body when playing sports. As such, campus cricket was the ideal choice.

RBCC aims at bridging the gap that exists for players from school to club teams, thus paving a clear pathway for talented players to reach National level. In the past, RBCC has provided a platform where the world has witnessed the rise of now internationally acclaimed players, such as K. L. Rahul from India, Lungi Ngidi from South Africa, Chirag Suri from UAE, and Niroshan Dickwella from Sri Lanka.

Whilst connecting a generation of university goers and building a lasting comradeship are at the very heart of RBCC, sports is the centre of the entire tournament. As such, RBCC follows very strict cricketing guidelines that maintain the game at high professional standards in the cricketing world. For Sri Lanka, tournament director and renowned former National cricket player Brendon Kuruppu is charged with the duties of ensuring the tournament follows proper guidelines and is played in the right spirit. This year, RBCC has taken one step forward to encourage students to pursue their talent and passion in sports by bringing in veteran and 1996 world cup-winning cricketing legend Roshan Mahanama as the event’s brand ambassador. Roshan’s presence, along with that of Brendon Kuruppu, will lift the tournament’s stature and, whilst increasing aspirations, further enhance the seriousness of the sport and the tournament. Over the past years, Sri Lanka has consistently proven to be a worthy contender at RBCC. After hosting the very first Asia Finals in 2012, the University of Moratuwa team represented Sri Lanka at the first-ever World Finals held at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in 2013. In the years to follow, the National Finals were won by the International College of Business and Technology (ICBT) in 2014 and 2015 consequently, representing Sri Lanka at the World Finals held at the Kia Oval in London and Dehradun, India respectively.

Hosted by Sri Lanka both in 2016 and 2017, the National finals were won by Business Management School (BMS) for two years in a row. While they emerged victorious and captured the coveted championship in 2016, the South African team won the world title in 2017.

This year, Sri Lanka is proud to host the Red Bull Campus Cricket Tournament for the fourth time. The World Finals will be played on home turf throughout the month of September, bringing this international stage to Sri Lanka once again. However, before gaining the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka, local teams must first conquer the National level. From Sri Lanka’s leading universities, 24 local teams will battle it out in front of hundreds of spectators from every university in a tournament filled with fair amounts of fun and fierce competition. 

Pix by Ruwan Walpola