Airtel powers 109th Battle of the North

• Sponsors the oldest cricket match played by the two oldest schools within northern region
• Partners cricket for second time in a region where Airtel is preferred telecommunication services provider

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced its partnership as principal sponsor of the 109th Battle of the North Cricketing Encounter 2015 for the second consecutive year. True to its promise of enriching lives, Airtel Lanka has once again forayed into the sport in a region where it is the preferred telecommunication services provider, thus contributing positively towards uplifting the talent in the northern region of Sri Lanka. The traditional cricketing encounter which is fondly referred to as the ‘Battle of the North’ is the annual cricketing tournament or ‘big match’ played between traditional rivals Jaffna Central College and St. John’s College, Jaffna. This commenced in the year 1904 and is currently considered the third oldest and the most prestigious inter-school cricket competition held in Sri Lanka. It is also the only ‘big match’ encounter that is being played within the northern region of the country by two of the oldest schools. This encounter which was traditionally a two-day match was upgraded to a three-day encounter in 2004 while the limited over match was introduced in 2003. Out of the 108 matches played so far, St. John’s College Jaffna has won 33 while Jaffna Central have won 27 with 39 matches ending in a draw. The 109th Battle of the North was held on 5, 6 and 7 March while the limited over match is scheduled to take place on 14 March at the St. John’s Jaffna grounds from 9am onwards. Commenting about the sponsorship, Bharti Airtel Lanka CEO/MD Suren Goonewardene said, “As an organisation, Airtel Lanka is always looking for new ways of being relevant to our target group – creating life enriching moments and thereby enriching their lives. We believe that sports provide the ideal platform to achieve this. We are indeed very pleased to partner the 109th Battle of the North cricketing encounter, one of the most prestigious and sought after school cricketing tournaments in the country, for the second consecutive year. For Airtel, this is an important occasion as we extend our support to the game of cricket and the northern region – where we believe that Airtel is the preferred telecommunications service provider. This reiterating the fact that rare talent is available and needs to be nurtured throughout the country. We also strongly believe in sports development as it plays a key role in the development of future leaders and role models thus creating a progressive community in Sri Lanka.”