Kenya: Stray Lions Edge Kanbis in Npca League

Stray Lions A’s all-rounder Krishna Katukala produced a man-of-the-match performance as they beat defending champions Kanbis A by a wicket in Sunday’s Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50 Overs Super League match at Peponi School.

The hard-fought victory saw Stray Lions reclaim their lead at the top with 28 points from eight matches. Coming into this match, both teams were tied on 24 points, with Kanbis ranked top thanks to a high run score rate.

Visitors Kanbis A won the toss and captain Dhiren Gondaria elected to bat first, setting a target of 249/9 runs in 50 overs.

Stray Lions replied with 250/9 in 47.1 overs to bring the match to a close. The hosts picked three points and a bonus for scoring more than 250 runs in the top-of-the-table clash.

Katukala picked four wickets and gave away 41 runs in 10 overs, as his compatriot and youngster David Mutua took two wickets for 64 runs in nine overs.

Stray Lions veteran left-arm bowler and captain Hiren Varaiya and bowler Shem Ngoche picked a wicket each and gave away 22 and 36 runs to their opponents in nine and 10 overs respectively in the second inning.

In the match, Katukala made a good partnership with opener Alex Obanda who put his name on the score sheet with 67 runs.

The duo scored a total of 123 runs from their partnership.

“This partnership is what changed the game for us. I am very happy for helping my team climb to the top of the table,” said Katukala.

In the other matches played on Sunday, hosts Sir Ali A lost by 53 runs to Swamibapa A at Sir Ali Muslims Club while Sikh Union A beat Nairobi gymkhana by 21 runs at Sikh Union Club.