Cricketing legend Russel Arnold has stepped into the arena of Esports, not as a player, but as the mentor for the Esports team Northern Rangers. The Northern Rangers is a franchise Esports team that competes in Gamer.LK’s SINGER Esports Premier League. The league is held annually and has a Rs. 1 million prize pool for the top Esports athletes in the country. The game of choice is PUBG Mobile, which is played by over a million Sri Lankan youth today.
Russel Arnold had this to say “I am excited for Gamer.LK and the Singer Esports Premier League’s future in Sri Lanka. What an amazing opportunity for local talent to shine and possibly make it to the big stage! Loving the part as Northern Rangers team mentor, a different kind of sport but the passion remains the same. I really want to see Esports take off in a big way in Sri Lanka. It is encouraging that so many great brands have backed this league too. That alone shows the potential seen in this tournament. I am looking forward to this event.”
Over 2,000 Esports athletes are expected to compete for a spot in the 12 franchise teams. The event will be held completely online throughout August, September and October of this year. Gamers wanting to take part in qualifiers are able to get more information on the official website at epl.lk.
Esports has been growing at a rapid pace in Sri Lanka over the last decade thanks to Gamer.LK’s consistent efforts in organising tournaments and activities around the sport. There are an estimated 4 million gamers in the country. Esports was recognised by the Sports Ministry of Sri Lanka as the 70th national sport in 2019.
“Russel is an icon for us Sri Lankans and we’re super excited that he’s coming onboard EPL as a mentor for the Northern Rangers. Russel embracing Esports is a pretty big deal for us, and with this vote of confidence, the sport takes a huge step forward” said Raveen Wijayatilake, CEO of Gamer.LK and the founder President of the Sri Lanka Esports Association.
SINGER comes onboard this year as the Title Sponsor of the Esports Premier League. Sri Lankans have come to know SINGER as the go-to location for durable goods for decades. SINGER now takes a bold step forward in catering to the Sri Lankan gaming population to create, maintain and grow their gaming lifestyle – whether you’re an Esports athlete or a casual gamer.
Moose Clothing Company, a big supporter of Sri Lankan Sports, has stepped up to sponsor the Esports league as the Official Clothing partner. Sprite, the Refreshing partner, has come onboard to keep players chilled while they game. 2 high-end Mobile phones are being given away by Sprite during the event for gamers that take part in the Sprite social campaigns held throughout the event. Samsung is the Official Smartphone partner, as players will be competing on mobile devices. Pizza Hut & Taco Bell are the official Food Partners, providing fast delivery of delicious food straight to players’ homes. Dell Gaming, with their lineup of G5, G7 & G15 gaming laptops, is the Gaming Laptop partner. A brand new Dell G15 gaming laptop will be given away during the event. Daraz, another strong supporter of traditional sports, is the Digital Partner for the league.
Gamers interested in taking part can visit epl.lk to register for the open qualifiers. Registrations close on 21st August and qualifiers will begin 28th August.
