NPCA SUPER LEAGUE: Defending champions Ruaraka face acid test against leaders Kanbis

Newly crowned NPCA Division 3 champions Samaj Development. [Courtesy]

Leaders Kanbis A have been a force to reckon with this season, having won nine of their ten games so far in the ongoing Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50-Overs Super League.

This weekend, Kanbis face an acid test as they host defending champions Ruaraka A in what will definitely treat fans to some exhilarating displays of cricket artistry at Eastleigh High School grounds.

Whenever both teams squared off in a 50- Over League contest, it’s always been a cliffhanger but Kanbis (who won the 2022 50-Overs League) have remained almost impregnable at their Eastleigh backyard.

The biggest positive for third placed defending champions Ruaraka over the past few years has been their resilience and urge to go the extra mile.

Kanbis A's hitman Dhiren Gondaria says his boys will stick to the basics throughout the tournament and give 100% effort in the remaining games ostensibly to recapture the elusive silverware.

"Notwithstanding the loss we suffered in the previous game to Swamibapa, we will go harder and harder game by game, guys are in solid mood to perform at any given day. We always concentrate on our game plans, as long as we keep on the winning spirit all the way, we don’t want to depend on other teams for us to lift this league."

Battle of Titans

This weekend's fixtures are literally significant in the tussle for the coveted 50-Overs trophy as the top four are engaged in crucial fixtures among themselves.

But Swamibapa A, who have been long time leaders, are leaving nothing to chance.             

Swamis host the much-revamped Sikh Union in the second fixture involving the top 4.

Having already taken some impressive scalps, Swamis trail Kanbis by 4 points although the latter have a match in hand.

And having lost by 105-runs to Ruaraka on September 1, Swamibapa cannot afford another slip up, given that they have so far suffered two No Results (NRs).

Swamis had their July matches against Ruaraka and Stray Lions abandoned due to inclement wet weather, one facet that could literally haunt them in the long run.

The top four paraded some of the League's most lethal batsmen, by and large.

Swamibapa skipper Rushabh Patel, Dhwanil Patel and Sachin Gill should be the stars of the show at Jamhuri High School on Sunday.

Sikh Union has been on a roll since the arrival of their three pros from Pakistan, namely Ali Shahid Butt, Shoaib Akram and Ali Raza.

Sikh union captain Sukhdeep Singh was left to rue their 2-run lose to Stray Lions last weekend.

Sukhdeep: "It was a hard-fought game for us. Disappointed with the result but proud of the team’s attitude towards the loss. Unfortunately the results wasn’t in our favor but outstanding batting by Shubham Patel and Ali Bhutt with a proper bowling spell. Our young star Yug Patel is doing well with the ball at this level and we are proud of him. The loss doesn’t affect us as a unit as we want to focus in the coming games and get a good standing."

Kanbis ' usual suspects are Dhiren, Rakep Patel and Maxwell Swaminathan. Swaminathan will have no love lost against his former club Ruaraka.

Ruaraka will hinge their hopes on the competitions second best run scorer Gautam Waghela, dangerman Pushkar Sharma and skipper Nitish Hirani.

The result between Ruaraka A and Kanbis A will have significant impact on the title race. Ruaraka A need to win the match to remain in the race and will go all out for the result required to retain the title.

Relegation Woes

Meanwhile the battle for relegation is taking shape.

As the tussle continues, Kenya Kongonis have replaced 2021-22 50-Overs League champions Stray Lions A as tailenders.

This follows last weekend's tight matches which saw Stray Lions Defeat Sikh union by 1- run and Sir Ali beating Kongonis by 5 runs.

Asked about their bad run in the season, Stray Lions skipper Tanzeel Sheikh responded: We went into the Sikh Union fixture with a positive mindset. Results haven’t gone the way we wanted them to go in the competition. We have a very balanced team through and it’s just a matter of time before we see results going our way."

Tanzeel continued: "The support from the management has been incredible doing this rough patch and we all believe we will come out of it. In our 4-wicket loss to Kanbis, our batsman showed we have what it takes to put up a good total on the board and it’s a matter of time before our bowling clicks too."

SUPER LEAGUE

Kanbis A vs Ruaraka A (Eastleigh) Swamibapa A vs Sikh Union A (Jamhuri) Stray Lions A vs Kongonis A Nbi (Peponi) SCLPS YL A vs Sir Ali A (SCLPS)