Colombo, Sri Lanka
Reebok dominates cricket in the Indian sub-continent. It has emerged as the market leader in Cricket Sports Goods Industry in India with over 25% market share in the cricket bat market. Current sport icons like MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajjan Singh and Irfan Pathan have all been Reebok brand ambassadors from the time they started their career. Also, upcoming athletes such as Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma , Gautam Gambhir , Yusuf Pathan , Piyush Chawla , Robin Uthappa and many others are part of the Reebok family.
Reebok is also the official outfitter of four IPL teams namely Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings XI and Bangalore Royal Challenge.
Speaking at the unveiling of the new jersey, Mr. D S de Silva, Chairman, Sri Lanka Cricket. said: “We are extremely happy to be associated with the number one sports brand, Reebok. This association will help equip our players with world – class kitting for them to perform at the highest level.“
Mr. Charith Senanayake, Head of Marketing, Sri Lanka Cricket, in his vote of thanks, appreciated the efforts of Ara Pararajasingham of Leander Sport, and Navroze Dhondy of Creatigies Communications in making this partnership happen.
Mr. Subhinder Singh Prem, Managing Director, Reebok India Company, said, “This truly is a defining moment for us. We believe that the game is all that matters and through this association we have brought Reebok’s expertise and experience in cricket to the Sri Lankan team. We bring to the players world class kitting which boats of high-end technology that will help the player to perform better. This association will also help to further strengthen the market leadership position that Reebok enjoys in the country. We have worked closely with Creatigies over many years and value the innovations and opportunities they have constantly brought to the brand”.
“Subhinder has always been a good friend and a supporter of India Davis Cup. Now we have managed to sign up Reebok’s 1st CountryTeam sponsor in Sri Lanka Cricket,” said Leander Paes, the inspiration and financial muscle behind of Leander Sport.
Navroze Dhondy, CEO, Creatigies Communications, who has been long been involved with cricket-marketing from the early days of the Hero Cup to the recent DLF IPL said , “Reebok and Sri Lanka Cricket are a perfect fit. They both symbolize success and energy, attitudes and attributes that are in total sync“
“Working in tandem with Creatigies, and getting Reebok, an icon brand around the world, and the clear market leader in India to outfit of the Sri Lanka Cricket team clearly helps it spread its dominance” said Ara Pararajasingham, CEO Leander Sport.
The jersey is made from Play Dry fabric, a Reebok patented technology, which reduces cling and enables the skin to breathe better. The fabric is designed to dry sweat, which leads to better moisture management and is extremely light, so that the player isn’t carrying additional weight that may hamper performance. Over the period of a match, this means greater comfort, as the players remain drier.