Challengers vow to maintain dominance after RCA Premier League glory

They have won an unprecedented record 13 trophies out of 14 that they competed for yet the appetite to win more just seem to grow with every victory—that is the chilling warning of Challengers cricket club patron and veteran captain Srinath Vardhineni. Srinath’s sentiment comes in the wake of his side’s RCA 50-over Premier League glory after a 37-run win over Zonic Tigers via the Duckworth-Lewis Method last Sunday at Gahanga Cricket Stadium. Unbeaten Challengers finished top of the six-team table standings with 10 points, two points clear of second-placed IPRC-Kigali. Right Guards CC (5pts) and Zonic Tigers (4pts) finished the third and fourth respectively. Telugu Royals (2pts) and Kigali Cricket Club (1pt) were both relegated to the second division and their places were taken by Indorwa and Kutchi Tigers, who finished champions and first runners up in Division 2 league. Asked if spending big money on recruiting the best players has played a role in his team’s continued dominancy of Rwandan cricket, Srinath, a former national team player, admitted, “Of course money does help but it is not the biggest factor because even the other teams spend but they don’t win.” The secret? He said, “the composition of the team, but most importantly team spirit and the hunger to keep winning. Cricket is a team sport, so you must have a team of players, who are ready to win, you can’t rely on one or two players.” The champions finished the season unbeaten to add the longer format version (50 overs) title to the T20 league titles that they have also dominated in the last three seasons. They also won the last one-day (50 overs) league title in 2019. This year, Challengers have lost just once, and it was in the final of the T10 tournament against Zonic Tigers. On Sunday, Zonic Tigers captain Martin Akayezu won the toss and elected to bowl first in a rain-affected final match of the season. The match was reduced to 37 overs from which Challengers scored 198 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Didier Ndikubwimana, batting at number 2, finished unbeaten with a standout 87 runs not out off 113 balls, including 2 sixes and 7 fours. Both Mustaq Mohammed (4) and Munir Ismail (5), contributed 26 and 24 runs respectively. In response, Zonic Tigers managed 178 runs in the allotted 37 overs for the loss of six wickets, thereby falling short of the target by 37 runs. Opening batsman Wilson Niyitanga got Zonic Tigers off to a good start with a decent 37 runs off 70 balls before he bowled by Eric Niyomugabo. Akayezu, who came to the creese at number 5, scored 36 runs off 28 balls, including five boundaries (2 sixes and 3 fours) before his inning was ended by Ismail Munir. Israel Mugisha added a quick 35 runs not out including 5 fours and a six from just 21 balls. IPRC-Kigali made sure of second place finish with a one-wicket victory against Right Guards. The latter won the toss and opted to bat, but were bowled out for a paltry 83 runs from 21.3 overs. Captain Denis Mukama top scored with 31 runs but IPRC-Kigali bowlers Theophile Ndayishimiye and Eric Kubwimana stole the spotlight with figures of 3/9 and 3/27, respectively. The second inning, intensified by Kevin Irakoze's aggressive bowling for the Right Guards, which saw him claim IPRC-Kigali’s top three batters, but it was not enough as Francois Zirahangaje’s crucial 21 off 15 balls added stability. In a tense last-wicket defense, Eric Kubwimana secured the winning run off Irakoze at 21.1 overs, propelling IPRC-Kigali to a one-wicket victory. According to Emmanuel Byiringiro, the General Manager of Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA), the quality of the cricket displayed throughout the tournament was outstanding. “Despite one team dominating, the standard of the league has really gone up. We had some quality cricket, with some many young players from the development program, which is a good thing to see going forward,” Byiringiro told Times Sport. On top of the trophy, champions Challengers also walked away with a cash prize of Rwf2,000,000, while the team also dominated the individual awards, with Kenneth Waiswa scooping the Player of the Tournament prize worth Rwf120,000. Didier Ndikubwimana (263 runs, 5 innings, Average 65.75) won the best batter award and Siraj Nsubuga (11 wickets, 4 matches, Economy 2.91), took the best bowler while IPRC-Kigali’s Emile Rukiriza (6 dismissals, 4 matches) was best fielder.

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Challengers vow to maintain dominance after RCA Premier League glory