The 27th edition of the Mercantile Basketball League is set to commence in the second week of June as it was postponed from the original date due to adverse weather conditions. As the top corporates battle each other outside of the leather seats and fancy carpets; let`s take a look whether they have what it takes to win the battle.
Peoples Team of the MSBA League 2017 – Vote
The 27th Edition of the Mercantile Basketball League will commence during the third week of June…
Six men`s teams and three women`s teams will compete in the A Division of the tournament. Out of the nine corporates in competition here`s a look in to Commercial Credit Men`s Basketball Team.
Commercial Credit will walk into the tournament as the defending champions. Even though they have lost a couple of players from the last season, having won the tournament during the past three occasions they would still believe that they have what it takes to complete the mission this year as well.
The team line-up is filled with both talent and experience. Commercial Credit will be led by experienced campaigner and Sanjeewa Kulumina. Apart from Sanjeewa, three national players who were part of the recently concluded SABA Championship will also wear the red and black jersey; Timothy Nithushan, Clinton Thevakumar and Gayan De Croos.
With this balanced team Commercial Credit`s game strategy relies heavily on individual performances. Aligning with it, the players have individual practice sessions to hone their skills whether it be on the court or at the gym.
The team’s strong suit has been their defense over the years, as other teams have been reluctant to drive in and finish at the rim. They have also recorded a high number of average rebounds collected in each match giving them a strong defensive side. Having the services of seven six footers in the team line-up, it will be a nightmare for all opponents who come up against them.
Captain Sanjeewa Kulumina speaking to ThePapare said, “Even though we’ve won the last 3 years we’re going into this tournament as underdogs and we hope that the extra practice we all put in individually can help us get our 4th consecutive win. Also we do expect tough competition from teams like Fair First and DFCC. This tournament is now one of our biggest priorities since it’s the only club tournament.”
Coach Panduka Ranasinghe speaking to ThePapare said, “We play a very relaxed game and there is no senior junior mentality in our team increasing the team dynamics, which is what allowed us to dominate the tournament these past few years. Some teams play not to lose and although we have been dominating we still play to win which is what drives us every year to become champions.”
Clinton Thevakumar is in sublime form having put up a brilliant performance in the recently concluded SABA Championship. Timothy Nithushan will have a lot to give back to the team in terms of experience as he will be representing Sri Lanka in the 3×3 World Cup.
Even though there are many contenders for the title, Commercial Credit will be an outfit to keep an eye on.
Commercial Credit Men`s Team : Sanjeewa Kulumina (Captain), Gayan De Croos, Clinton Thevakumar, Timothy Nithushan, Sanitha De Mel, Lakshan Perera, Poorna Nirmal, Lasantha Goonewardana, Vijitharan Sivanesaraja.
