Kanbis’ Dhiren demands fresh impetus from teammates against Swamis, Ruaraka
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Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 16.02.24. | 20:08
The Super Division has three matches on the cards on Saturday and four on Sunday
Kanbis skipper Dhiren Gondaria believes the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association's (NPCA) Twenty20 League has reached a point where fresh impetus is needed to re-energize his team’s batting order.
Kanbis A will lock horns with hosts Ruaraka on Saturday before clashing with Swamibapa at Jaffery’s on Sunday.
But after their 3-run loss to Stray Lions last weekend, Dhiren is thinking differently and calling on his teammates to raise the bar higher.
Kanbis have so far played the 2024 NPCA T20 League minus their hitman and run-hungry batsman Rakep Patel who picked an ankle injury during a national team assignment.
“Coming to the first innings against Stray Lions, we had too many loose balls, and I think we need to work harder on the areas we are bowling. We continuously fed them (Stray Lions) despite getting wickets at the right time but the positive was Kerai’s spell, he gave us wickets at the right time but the other end was opposite,” expounded Dhiren.
Dhiren continued: “You cannot win with one player’s effort, and while we batted, they gave us a hard time to chase the target, very minimal bad balls, but still we almost gave them a heartbreak, thanks to the effort from Vinod Rabadia who played an innings to remember.”
The Super Division has three matches on the cards on Saturday and four on Sunday.
On Saturday, SCLPS YL A will play Obuya Cricket Academy at Nairobi Jaffery’s in a match expected to produce fireworks.
Defending Champions Swamibapa have two losses thus far and cannot afford any slip-ups going forward. They lock horns with Gymkhana on Saturday before confronting
Kanbis A on Sunday. A clash between Swamibapa and Kanbis has always generated some good- humoured rivalry with fans from both teams bantering over who has the last laugh.
Having already taken some impressive scalps, undefeated Stray Lions A are the team to beat in the exhilarating T20 season having already decimated big boys Kanbis and Ruaraka. They have a bye on Saturday before taking on Obuya Cricket Academy A at Nairobi Jaffery’s Sunday.
Opener Irfan Karim has indeed been the toast of the Lions and currently tops the run leaderboard with 227 from 5 innings. He is followed by Ruaraka’s Pushkar Sharma with 200 and Sikh Union’s Jasraj Kundi on 152
Stray Lions top the NPCA log with 20 points accrued from 5 outings. Kanbis, Ruaraka and SCLPS YL A tie on 12 points although the Eastleigh High-based side are lying second with a superior run-rate.
On Sunday, Ruaraka A plays SCLPS YL A at Ruaraka whilst Nairobi Gymkhana hosts Sikh Union A.
Meanwhile, Division 1 and 2 fixtures continue at various venues on Saturday and Sunday. The matches are as follows: -
SATURDAY
DIVISION ONE
Kongonis Vs SCLPS B (Nairobi Club)
Kanbis B vs Swamibapa A (Eastleigh High)
Sikh Union B vs Wolves A (Sikh Union Nbi)
Stray Lions B vs Ruaraka B (Peponi)
GI Unicorns A vs Ngara SC A (GI)
