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Kanbis 'A' renew rivalry with Swamis as NPCA T20 title chase intensifies
Stray Lions A's Bhagath Varma follows through his shot against Swamibapa A during Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association Twenty 20 league finals played on March 11th 2024 at Sikh Union Cricket ground.
The stage is set for an epic Week 6 of the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) Twenty 20 League where Kanbis face an acid test against Ruaraka on Saturday and Swamibapa A on Sunday.
Sunday’s match between Swamis and Kanbis will be a grudge match with the latter banking on home advantage at their Eastleigh High School grounds. Swamibapa A won the first leg easily at Jamhuri by 9 wickets.
Kanbis skipper Dhiren Gondaria is confident they will play well and win the game.
Should third-placed Kanbis win both matches at the weekend, they stand a better chance of topping the NPCA T20 log depending on how Sikh Union plays.
Sikh Union A, who are second on the table, will be hoping to collect maximum points.
The Sikhs will be at home against Swamibapa A on Saturday before visiting Ruaraka on Sunday. Swamibapa A, having lost against Sikh Union A in the first round, will be hoping for a better performance to get one over the Sikhs.
The Sikhs are relying on their performers from last season among them Shubham Patel, Jasraj Kundi and Satish Hirani but have decided to give a few youngsters a chance to help them develop themselves in the foreseeable future.
Sikh Union has savoured a great start to the season and are glad to have the team play as a unit despite losing by 4 wickets to Ngara A on February 9.
"We are glad to have our young team giving their best, and the energy is amazing on the bat and bowl," said Sikh Union A skipper Sukhdeep Singh.
Tail-enders Kongonis have no match on Saturday but will be back to take the fight to visitors Shree Cutch Leva Patel Samaj (SCLPS YL A).
Kongonis' skipper Thomas Ojijo is a happy man after his boys registered their first victory of the season last weekend.
Kongonis have made the biggest upset in the league so far, with a 21-run advantage over Ruaraka.
"Finally, we got to win our first Matchplay weekend against Ruaraka, this just shows how the application and hard work done by the team to play as a unit is showing positive results still taking it one game at a time and feels good to get into points."
Defending champions Stray Lions A have struggled in the T20 season, having only won two out of 9 matches.
But Lions' skipper Tanzeel Sheikh is glad that things have begun to look up. Stray Lions A visits Sir Ali on Saturday before heading to Ngara on Sunday.
Lions' squad has been boosted with the recent return of Kavi Dosaja and Neil Mugabe, but skipper Tanzeel is excited that they are now getting their basics right on the bat, bowl, and in the field. The way we fought back against Swamibapa A to tie the match has boosted our confidence, and we are looking forward to a strong finish.
Meanwhile, action continues in Division One and Two at various venues.
Kanbis B welcomes Sikh Union B at Eastleigh whilst Goan A takes on Ruaraka B at Goan Institute.
In Division Two on Saturday, Nairobi Royals has a date with Wolves B at Jaffrey’s.
Wolves A will be up against Gymkhana B at Viraj.
Sir Ali B are the log leaders of Division One with a cumulative score of 24.
In Division Two, Wolves A top the Group A chat whilst Swamibapa Development are the leaders in Group B.
SUPER DIVISION WEEKEND FIXTURES:
Saturday (14:30)
Ruaraka A VS Kanbis A (Ruaraka)
Sir Ali VS Stray Lions A (Sir Ali)
Sikh Union A VS Swamibapa A (Sikh Union) Ngara A vs Nairobi Gymkhana A (Ngara)
Sunday (14:00)
Kanbis A vs Swamibapa A (Eastleigh) Ruaraka VS Sikh Union A (Ruaraka)
Sir Ali A vs Nrb Gymkhana (Sir Ali) Kongonis A vs SCLPS YL A (Nairobi Club) Ngara A vs Stray Lions A (Ngara).
