Galle Gladiators will win LPL this season: Team Owner Nadeem Omar

Wednesday, 22 September 2021 00:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Nadeem Omar

Galle Gladiators fell short by a whisker to win the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), going down to eventual winner Jaffna Stallions in a closely fought final. But, Nadeem Omar, owner of Galle Gladiators, feels

this will be the year of the Gladiators as they prepare to bounce back even stronger in the second edition of the Premier T20 League in the island nation.

Aziz Abdul Rahim Kassamali and Majid Bashir are the co-owners of the Galle Gladiators for the upcoming second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), which is scheduled to commence in the latter part of November.

In the first season, the team was led by Pakistani star all-rounder Shahid Afridi in the early phase of the tournament and was later taken over by Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa after Afridi had to leave the tournament midway due to personal reasons. Former legendary pacer Wasim Akram was the team mentor.

Omar also owns the Quetta Gladiators franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He is a Pakistani business executive and former scrabble player who is known nationally and internationally for his contributions to sports. He has been the President of the Pakistan Scrabble Association since October 2020 and the pPresident of the Karachi City Cricket Association since May 2018. He is also the President of the Pakistan Cricket Club. The core motivation of the Galle franchise is to develop the game in the southern province of Sri Lanka.

“The upcoming season of LPL is very crucial for us, especially after the way we fought back last season. We saw some remarkable performances from young players like Azam Khan, Dhananjaya Lakshan and Sahan Arachchige. They have set a benchmark of excellence for the younger talents who will come into the team.

“Coming into the next edition, we want to put up a better fight and clinch the trophy. We had great support from the fans around Galle, though they weren’t allowed into the stadiums, but we saw their support online through various platforms. We urge them to extend their support in similar fashion and help us grow,” said Omar, while highlighting the focus for the upcoming edition of the Premier T20 League in the Island Nation.

Anil Mohan, who is the Founder/CEO of Dubai-based production giant the IPG Group, the official promoter of LPL, added: “Gladiators set LPL on fire with their remarkable comeback in the first edition. But we are all set to witness a new chapter in its cricketing history with LPL becoming bigger and better. I am confident that the Galle team›s performance will help the league grow in stature.”