SundayChallengers CC vs Telugu Royals 9amKigali CC vs Kerala Hunters 1:30pm

Title hopefuls Challengers cricket club and their arch-rivals Telugu Royals faceoff in the first semi-final of the on-going V.R NAIDU T20 tournament on Sunday at Kicukiro cricket ground.

Challengers, whose captain Srinath Vardhineni’s family are the tournament sponsors, are the overwhelming favorites after winning this tournament for a record four consecutive years.

They will be up against one of the strongest teams in local cricket Telugu Royals in what promises to be a mouth-watering game, which will be followed by the second semi-final between Kigali cricket and Kerala Hunters.

Recent success won’t count for anything as the two teams are all determined to outmuscle the other for the final spot. Challengers captain Srinath is determined to see that his team retains the trophy.

"We always work as a unit and our own goal is to always work towards winning every competition that we take part in,” he noted.

He added that Challengers are determined to repeat the heroics of 2014 and 2015 when they went unbeaten in those two seasons, winning all the tournaments organized locally in that period.

Meanwhile, Telugu Royals captain Ram Morumbubi said, "We have respect for Challengers for their experience and what they have achieved over the past four years, particularly in this but we’re prepared to push for victory.”

He added that his team is determined to consolidate their top performance from last season when they won two tournaments and were named Team of the Year.

They outsmarted Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA) Development Team by five wickets to lift the Computer Point T20 Cup in August.

The Royals completed the perfect pair of diadems by scooping the UAExchange National 50-Over League on December 11.

On the way to the semi-final, Challengers won all their four games against Vikings, Indorwa, KCC and RCA Development Team while Telugu Royals beat Right Guards, Impala Titans and lost to Kerala Hunters.

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