The Uganda Cricket Cranes will begin their quest for a third successive ILT20 Continent Cup title Wednesday morning against Sierra Leone at the Gahanga Cricket Stadium.
Out in Kigali, Rwanda as the defending champions, the Cranes won the inaugural tournament in Nairobi in 2023 before retaining the crown in Kigali in 2024. The competition was not held in 2025.
Captain Riazat Ali Shah and vice-captain Kenneth Waiswa provide leadership alongside established internationals including Juma Miyagi, Cosmas Kyewuta, Robinson Obuya, and Joseph Baguma.
The Cricket Cranes arrived in Kigali on Sunday following a 12-hour bus journey from Lugogo and have since focused on recovery, team bonding, and acclimatization.
Assistant Coach Jackson Ogwang believes the journey helped strengthen the group. “The bus ride helped us gel. It was a bonding session,” Ogwang said.
Uganda completed a full training session at Gahanga on Monday as the team adapted to the conditions and fine-tuned preparations for the opener.
Vice-captain Waiswa told Nnalubaale Sports that the players are eager to begin the campaign strongly and make an early statement.
“The guys are hungry to deliver. We have practiced well for this and would also love to continue doing well as we prepare for the Nigeria showdown.”
Uganda’s technical team will use this tournament as a tool to widen the country’s T20 player pool ahead of next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier in Nigeria.
“Everyone will want to beat us, but for us, our goal is to win the third successive title,” Waiswa added.
Uganda will face Sierra Leone, Botswana, Rwanda, and Kenya during the league phase, with the top teams advancing to the latter stages. The final is scheduled for September 19 at the Gahanga Main Oval.
