DHAKA, May 30, 2021 (BSS)—Walton, the leading conglomerate of the country, became the title sponsor of Dhaka Premier League (DPL) once again, making it nineth time in a row.
This year’s DPL is named ‘Bangabandhu DPL Sponsored by Walton’ to celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Walton came up with the motto “Where there is cricket, there is Walton.”
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the name of Walton Group as the sponsor of Bangabandhu DPL at a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.
BCB Director and Media Committee Chairman Jalal Yunus, BCB Director and Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), the guardian of Dhaka clubs Chairman Kazi Inam, BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, Walton Group Executive Director Uday Hakim, Walton Chief Marketing Officer Firoz Alam, Additional Director Milton Ahmed and CCDM Coordinator Ali Hossain were present.
CCDM Chairman Kazi Inam thanked Walton Group and said, “The Dhaka Premier League will kick off Monday. The league was suspended after one round last year due to Covid-19 pandemic. With the T20 World Cup in mind, this time we are organizing the league in T20 format. ‘
He added, “As always, we have Walton as the league’s sponsor. Walton has sponsored us for the last eight years. Not only Dhaka League but also Walton is the sponsor of National Cricket League. They have also been cooperating with the BCB in international cricket. Not just cricket, they have been collaborating in other sports in the country. ‘
Uday Hakim, executive director of Walton Group, said, “I would like to thank the BCB. They have given us the opportunity to patronize for a decade. ‘
“Domestic cricket is the cornerstone of our cricket,” he added. “We want to always be by the side of cricket, always be by the side of BCB in the development of cricket. For that reason, you can see that Walton sponsors the major domestic tournaments in the country. We want the national team pipeline to be more prosperous. I hope the Dhaka Premier League T20 tournament will be a success.”
BCB director Jalal Yunus said, “There is nothing new to say about the Walton Group. Many organizations do not want to sponsor in this pandemic situation. Walton did not leave us in the midst of this.”
“We have taken the risk of running Dhaka League in this pandemic as it is the main income source of the most cricketers of the country. We have taken up the challenge of successfully organizing the league. We are keeping 12 teams in bio-bubble. It’s a huge challenge. We have taken up that challenge in the interest of the country’s cricket, “he added.
Walton has given clothes to the match official (umpire, referee) to increase the quality of the tournament apart from sponsorship in Dhaka League. In addition, Walton will give an attractive trophy to the best player of each match and a trophy to the champion and runners-up team of the tournament.
The Dhaka League with 12 teams will start from tomorrow (Monday). The best clubs in Dhaka will compete for the ultimate supremacy with three venues—Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, BKSP-3 and BKSP-4 being hosted the matches. The Dhaka League is the most prestigious event in domestic cricket. This time the cricketers of the national team will be available for the whole season. As a result, there will be excitement and thrill.
Due to Covid-19, the DPL was postponed after one round was played in March 2020. There was no need to change teams as the suspended league was being organized this time. However, instead of one-day format, this time the game will be played in T20 format.