JAT Holdings – ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of SLC’

Official Exchange of the SLC T-shirt by JAT  MD Aelian Gunawardene (third from left) and JAT GM Dilshan Rodrigo to SLC CEO Ashley De Silva (left) and SLC Honorary Secretary Mohan de Silva at the Official Overseas Team Sponsor of SLC press conference – Pic by Ruwan Walpola

Supporting the nation’s beloved sport, JAT Holdings Ltd., was yesterday announced as the ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of Sri Lanka Cricket’ for the 2020/2021 cricket season, until 31 May. 

Having sponsored the SL tour of South Africa and SL’s home series against England previously this year, the completely local and home-grown brand is also empowering the ongoing SL tour of West Indies (WI) and the upcoming Bangladesh (BAN) Tour of SL. 

As the ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of SLC’, JAT has always been a patriot of the sport. This stands evident in the organisation’s involvement in the LPL, the tour of Australia 2017, the Bangladeshi BPL and many more tours. JAT is also sponsoring SL’s ongoing tour of WI, which includes 3 ODIs, 3 T20s and 2 Test matches taking place during March 2021, and the BAN tour of SL, which will take place in April – May 2021. 

Despite the current economic situation, where most organisations in SL have readjusted their sights and shied away from game-changing management decisions, JAT stepped forward to help and support the most popular sport of the nation by sponsoring SLC.  With the recent launch of WHITE by JAT, a range of brilliant white interior and exterior emulsion paints, JAT evidently proves its innovation, organisational confidence, financial stability and consistency to help give back to the community.  

Addressing his thoughts on the partnership, SLC CEO Ashley De Silva commented: “I’m happy that JAT Holdings, a local and privately owned brand, has partnered as the ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of Sri Lanka Cricket’ to strengthen Sri Lanka Cricket during Sri Lanka’s Tour of South Africa, home series against England, the ongoing Tour of West Indies and the upcoming Bangladesh Tour of Sri Lanka. Cricket is all about partnerships and I’m sure this association will grow and develop, and that JAT will take this opportunity to harness their brand to become a global giant.” 

Voicing his thoughts in relation to the sponsorship, JAT MD Aelian Gunawardene commented: “We are extremely honoured, as a privately owned Sri Lankan company, to be the ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of Sri Lanka Cricket’, and this has given all of us at JAT a feeling of great pride and we wish the team every success in their upcoming series. JAT Holdings constantly seeks for channels to give back to our community, and sports has always been an area of focus. This was even more evident when JAT became the only Sri Lankan company to sponsor the Kandy Tuskers cricket team at the LPL 2020.” 

He further stated: “True sportsmanship is a unifying language. It is undeniable that sporting events create complete individuals and bring together nations, ethnicities and religions, despite their differences.” 

ITW Consulting, the custodian of the ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of SLC’ for the period of 2020 – 2023, facilitated JAT’s engagement with SLC. 

Speaking about this association, ITW Consulting MD Bhairav Shanth said: “ITW has always believed in the potential of sports in general and cricket in particular, globally. This has been an exciting association for us, not least because we have a long-standing relationship with the sport of cricket here and are upbeat about the possibilities SL cricket holds. This deal is unique, as the two most trusted names in the country have come together to celebrate the most popular sport in Sri Lanka. Through this association, we are committed to enabling Sri Lanka Cricket enter an exciting new era.”

JAT has continually sponsored major sporting events on home soil and abroad, from standing tall as the main sponsor of the SL vs. Australia Test series, while co-sponsoring the ODIs and several other SL cricket tournaments. As a socially responsible organisation, which seeks to bring communities together through sports and being the ‘Official Overseas Team Sponsor of SLC’ during the 2020/2021 cricket season until 31 May will only pave the way for more ventures similar to this.