Gymkhana hit the ground running as NPCA 50-Overs League gets underway
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 03.07.25. | 08:30
Defending champions Kanbis were off to a winning start with a seven-wicket advantage over visitors Ruaraka A
Nairobi Gymkhana A are the surprise leaders of the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50-Overs League, albeit on Net Run Rate (NRR).
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Spearheaded by man-of-the-match Muhamad Faisal, Gymkhana A had their week 1 campaign effectively sewn up with a deserved 8-wicket away win to Sir Ali Muslim Club A.
Indefatigable Faisal was also named the Best Bowler with 4 wickets to his credit, thanks to the rapid collapse of Sir Ali’s top and middle orders that gave Gymkhana the advantage.
Sir Ali won the toss and elected to bat first but were off to a disastrous start losing 5 wickets for only 36 runs in 7.3 overs. The team never recovered from the poor start and ended up with only 110 runs in 27.1 overs contrary to all the expectations.
The host’s woes began when opener Nithin Arvind (12 off 6 balls) was bowled out by Neel Doshi.
Arvind was followed into the pavilion by Aniket Patara (4 off 7 balls) and Sajjad Malik (5 off 5 balls) as middle-order batsman Ameer Hamza saved the blushes for losers with 49 off 55 balls before being caught out by Joseph Mavharia.
In reply, Gymkhana A managed 114 for 2 in just 20.2 overs to carry the day. The newly recruited overseas player Mohit Jhawa was the star for Gymkhana with an unbeaten 46 runs off only 32 deliveries.
After week 1, Gymkhana are tied on 4 points with Sikh Union A, Kanbis A, Ngara A, and Swamibapa A, but enjoy a superior Net Run Rate of 3.407.
Meanwhile, Swamibapa A have started their 50-overs campaign on a solid note, defeating Stray Lions A by 8 wickets, thanks to Sachin Gill’s unbeaten 41 runs and 3 wickets, which earned him the man-of-the-match accolade.
Swamis' skipper Rushabh Patel was in imperious form in week one, scoring an unbeaten half century (61 off 78 balls), to emerge as the match's highest run scorer. Vraj Patel once again was the toss of the bowlers for Swamibapa, picking up five wickets on the opening day of the season.
Defending champions Kanbis also got off to a winning start with a seven-wicket advantage over visitors Ruaraka A, who lost to the much-fancied Eastleigh derby for the umpteenth time. Ruaraka who are one of the favorites for the league title started on a disastrous note after their fancied batting line-up once again failed to live up to the expectations.
Ruaraka folded for 155 runs in 32.1 overs, with the only meaningful contribution from Neel Akash Tambe, who top-scored with 73 runs. Bilal Husin, Hashit Vekaria, and Nischay Kerai all picked up 3 wickets each for Kanbis.
Newly promoted Ngara Sports Club A pulled out all stops on home turf to vanquish Kenya Kongonis A by 5 wickets. Ngara have maintained the same team for the Super League season, led by Rajiv Sutaria and their new vice-captain Dhyey Patel.
As for the international pros, Ngara A have Shubham Chagg and Ganesh Mansuria for the entire season and Aezaz Kotariya for 4 games.
Sikh Union A played their hearts out on Sunday, defeating Samaj A Team by 8 wickets. The Sikhs are coming in with the same squad from the T20 season, with a majority of them being youngsters.
Overseas professional Shoaib Akram was the toast of the Sikhs with a cool 52 off 71 balls.
“Standards have been set, and only the sky is the limit. From our end, I must admit it was nice to start the league with a win,” quipped Sikh Union’s wicket keeper and skipper, Sukhdeep Singh, after a winning start.
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