Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa has drawn bipartisan support for the Lanka Premier League cricket tournament, which will begin in Hambantota tonight.

The tournament takes place while Sri Lanka cricket is going through a rough patch in terms of performance at the international level. The outbreak of COVID19 pandemic has deprived Sri Lanka of any competitive cricket over the last eight months.

Amidst all this negativity, the LPL league comes as a glimmer of hope for Sri Lankan cricket lovers who are waiting eagerly to see exciting local cricket talent alongside a number of international players.

Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa was instrumental in bringing it all together while the country was battling an unexpected COVID19 outbreak.

“Exciting day for all of us. As cricket fans we have been waiting for this for a long time. Wishing all the teams a very good luck. Urge all Sri Lankans to support @LPLT20 Congratulations to getting this done in this difficult time @SLCPresident & @RajapaksaNamal”, former Sports Minister and opposition MP Harin Fernando tweeted, a short while ago.

“Thank you @fernandoharin for your kind words. I am thrilled to be watching the games on tv & excited to support our teams & lift their spirits in the new normal. Lets come together for our common love of the sport & put any social/political differences aside,” Rajapaksa said responding to the former Sports Minister’s tweet.

Meanwhile, former Sri Lankan cricket legends Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena have expressed support for the tournament by choosing to back the Jaffna Stallions franchise representing the city of Jaffna.

This is a good start. Things may not be perfect this time and you will see a lot of problems and challenges. But this should start somewhere. We should be glad that we are having a T20 league in Sri Lanka after a hiatus of 08 years, “ a sports journalist told Asian Mirror.