NCCA T20: Ruaraka's dire straits deepen with back-to back losses, Swamibapa 'A' charge to the summit

In a disappointing turn of events, Ruaraka 'A' Cricket Team's struggles in the Nairobi County Cricket Association (NCCA) T20 League continued unabated at the weekend, as they suffered back-to-back losses to Stray Lions 'A' and Swamibapa 'A'.

The consecutive defeats have left the reigning 50-Overs Champions (Ruaraka) languishing at the bottom of the Super Division T20 League table, casting doubts on their title chances in the tournament which started in January.

Swamibapa’ s double victory this weekend means they ascend to the summit with 12 points and remain the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far, dislodging Sir Ali Muslim Club A, who now dip to second with 10 points.

Both Swamibapa and Sir Ali were tied on 8points the previous weekend, through the latter savoured an edge on Net Run Rate (NRR).

On Saturday, Sir Ali Muslim Club A Team beat Cutchi Leva by 3 wickets but got a bye on Sunday, meaning they couldn’t score more points.

Former one-time champions Stray Lions “A” vented their spleen on Ruaraka, thumping them by 121 Runs on Sunday, thus posting a mammoth 247 runs for 1 wicket at Peponi School.

The Lion's openers, Aman Gandhi and Irfan Karim, put on a sterling show, delivering double centuries in the process.

Gandhi scored 104 off 59 balls, while Karim smacked 104 off 49 balls, hitting 9 boundaries and 9 sixes.

Their explosive batting set the tone for Stray Lions A's dominant performance, as Ruaraka A's bowlers struggled to contain them.

In response, Ruaraka A were restricted to 126 runs for 6 wickets in the allotted 20.0 overs, handing the Lions a deserved 121-run advantage at their Peponi School backyard.

Defending champions Swamibapa A, skippered by Sachin Gill, made it a flawless weekend for themselves, cruising to a scintillating 10-wicket win over Ruaraka A on Saturday at Jamhuri High School Ground.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Ruaraka A could only manage 108 for 5 in 20.0 overs. In reply, Swamibapa A sealed the win with 109 for no wicket in just 13.3 overs.

The Swamis got the job done only with their opening pair of Dhwanil Patel (46 off 35balls) and Pankaj Sanghani (61 off 44balls).

On Sunday, Swamibapa beat Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj (SCLPS A) by 68 runs at Nairobi SCLPS Stadium.

Swamibapa won the toss and elected to bat first and were bowled out for 144 runs in 19.5 overs, but their bowlers did enough to restrict Ruaraka A to 76 runs for 9 wickets in 11.4 overs.

Gill also took 2 wickets, and his all-round performance earned him the player of the match accolade.

Swamibapa A's openers Dhwanil (5 off 5balls) and Sanghani (dismissed for a duck) got off to a shaky start against Cutchi Leva, but Captain Gill's 42 off 25 balls helped his team recover effectively well.

Jignesh Hirani (21 off 21 balls) and Harendra Kerai (27 off 16) also made worthy contributions for Swamibapa who now sit on the apex of the competition with a two-point advantage over Sir Ali.

In other matches, Kanbis A suffered a heartbreaking 3-run defeat to hosts Sikh Union A, despite putting up a spirited fight.

Sikh Union A's steady batting and Kanbis A's late collapse sealed the win for Sikh Union A.

Sikh Union skipper Sukhdeep Sigh was all smiles: “We had a bye on Saturday but coming into Sunday, the game against Kanbis, we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. It was a match we had to win to give ourselves a chance to get in the top 4. We’ve kept our hopes alive and I’m sure this win has given us confidence in the future games left in this T20 League.”