Cricket

UG20 2026: New season, old rivals and a crown up for grabs

Published

3 weeks ago

September 5, 2026

Uganda’s cricket stars return to the crease this weekend as the Cricket Uganda Men’s UG20 League 2026 gets underway, ushering in another chapter of competition, talent development and club rivalry.

The UG20 campaign comes on the back of the 50-Over League, which saw Tornado Bees claim the gold group title, Ismaili Community take the silver group title, and Pak Shaheens CC win the bronze group title.

That result adds another layer of intrigue to the UG20, particularly for Ismaili Community, who enter the competition carrying the confidence of a strong 50-over campaign.

The Cricket Uganda Men’s UG20 League will feature four groups, with teams battling through the group stage before the competition moves into the knockout phase. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals, with the four survivors then fighting through the semi-finals for a place in the championship final.

The official Cricket Uganda schedule lists the UG20 2026 competition and its fixtures across the country’s cricket grounds.

The first weekend gets underway on Saturday, September 5, with the league having action at Lugogo Oval, before other match action arrives on Sunday.

On Sunday, September 6, four different ovals will host UG20 action:

Entebbe Oval: Centurion CC vs Pak Shaheens CC
Jinja Oval: Jinja SSS vs Iganga CC
Florida Oval: Mukono Warriors CC vs ACC
GM Sugar Oval: GM Sugar CC vs JACC

The spread of matches across the different venues immediately gives the opening round a festival feel, with teams beginning their long journey towards the knockout stages.

For Wanderers CC, the 2026 campaign is about more than simply progressing through the groups. The club are former UG20 champions, having won the competition in 2024. They will be determined to rediscover the form that took them to the title; after missing out on victory last season, Wanderers return with unfinished business and a clear objective: get back to the top. Drawn in Group B, Wanderers will face Ceylon Lions CC, SKLPS, Centurion CC, Mukono Development CC and Pak Shaheens CC. Their campaign begins on September 19 against Centurion at Entebbe Oval, followed by a September 26 meeting with Mukono Development. They will later face Pak Shaheens at Jinja Oval, Ceylon Lions at Entebbe and SKLPS at Florida.

For a side that knows what it feels like to lift the trophy, the group stage is the first step in an attempted return to glory.

Standing in Wanderers’ way, and among the leading contenders for the crown, are the 2025 champions Ismaili Community CC. Ismaili captured last year’s UG20 title after defeating Aboojo CC by 23 runs in the final at Lakeside Oval, Entebbe, on November 23, 2025.

Batting first, Ismaili posted 148 all out in 20 overs, led by Riazat Ali Shah’s 41 and Kamran Wali’s 40. Aboojo mounted a challenge through Amos Ahuru, who scored 34, and Ivan Thawithemwira with 30, but finished on 125/8, leaving Ismaili as champions.

Now the defending champions return with another reason for optimism.

Their silver group title in the 50-Over League means Ismaili have remained among the leading sides in Uganda’s domestic cricket landscape, and they will hope that momentum carries into the shorter format. They will, however, have little room for complacency. Defending a title is often harder than winning one, and every opponent will be looking to knock the champions off their perch.

The 2026 competition is divided into four groups.

Group A: Kutch Tigers CC, Ismaili Community CC, Tornado CC, Soroti City CC, Aboojo CC and Kifaru CC.

Group B: Ceylon Lions CC, Wanderers CC, SKLPS, Centurion CC, Mukono Development CC and Pak Shaheens CC.

Group C: Avengers CC, Kutchi Tigers B, Chennai CC, Tornado Bee CC and Nile CC.

Group D: GM Sugar CC, JACC, Jinja SSS, Iganga CC, Mukono Warriors CC and ACC.

The format creates several potential storylines. Ismaili will be attempting to defend their crown, Wanderers will be chasing a return to the glory of 2024, while the likes of Tornado Bees, Pak Shaheens and Aboojo will all be looking to convert recent form into UG20 success.

And because only two teams from each group survive, there is little margin for error.

Once the group stage is complete, the tournament enters its decisive phase.

The quarter-finals will follow a cross-group format:

QF1: Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group C
QF2: Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group A
QF3: Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group D
QF4: Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group B

The semifinals will then pit the winners of QF1 and QF3 against each other, while the winners of QF2 and QF4 battle for the other final place.

Everything eventually leads to the championship final on December 6.

For now, though, the focus is on the opening weekend and the first opportunity for Uganda’s cricketers to make their statement.

The post UG20 2026: New season, old rivals and a crown up for grabs appeared first on Kawowo Sports.

Cricket

ILT20: Cricket Cranes back to winning ways against Sierra Leone

Published

1 week ago

September 15, 2026

Bryce Mullins

Game 5: ILT20 Cup Rwanda
Result: Uganda 56/2 beat Sierra Leone 55 all out by 8 wickets

Uganda’s Cricket Cranes got back to winning ways in a routine win against the Patriots of Sierra Leone at the start of the second round of the ILT20 Cup in Kigali.

Sierra Leone won the toss and elected to bat first. The Cricket Cranes made some changes to their playing XI, with Fahad Mutagana, Ronald Lutaaya and Enock Kasaija getting a crack ahead of Juma Miyaji, Cosmas Kyewuta and Charles Mushemeza.

Mutagana made his T20I debut; he was playing his first game of the tournament with Ronald Lutaaya.

Sierra Leone was no match for the Ugandan bowling; the part-time spin of Gerald Olipa (3/1) was the pick of the bowlers, with the support of Joseph Baguma (2/11), Kenneth Waiswa (2/8) and Enock Kasaija (2/8).

In the run chase, Anas Baig failed against the same opposition and the same bowler, George Sesay, but his opening partner, Robinson Obuya (20), carried his bat despite losing debutant Fahad Mutagana (10). Gerald Olipa (21 not out) knocked off the other requirement to bring up a fourth win for Team Uganda inside seven overs.

The win keeps Uganda in second place in the five-nation tournament that will see the top 2 sides competing in the final.

Uganda will take on Botswana tomorrow morning.

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Cricket

U19 Star Kenneth Isiiko’s all round brilliance lights up UG20 in Jinja

Published

1 week ago

September 14, 2026

Kenny Malone

Fresh from hoisting the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier trophy in Kigali, Rwanda, Baby Cricket Cranes prodigy Kenneth Isiiko has wasted no time making headlines back home, turning in a masterclass performance for Jinja Association of Cricket Clubs (JACC) in the ongoing UG20 tournament at the Jinja SSS Cricket Ground.

Isiiko, who contributed crucial runs including a resilient 12 against Sierra Leone during Uganda’s triumphant unbeaten run in Rwanda alongside teammates like Larry Elton Itaagi and Felix Ochan, put on a show of resilience during a dramatic double-header against the Mukono Warriors.

The morning fixture saw the Mukono Warriors extend their formidable form with a clinical 33-run victory over JACC. Batting first, the Warriors carved out 116/9 in their allotted 20 overs, anchored by Musa Majid Ramathan’s top score of 35.

Isiiko proved to be a thorn in the Warriors’ side with the ball, spearheading the JACC bowling attack with a stellar three-wicket haul. However, the JACC batting lineup faltered in the chase, bundled out for 83 in 16.5 overs despite Aaron Kusasira’s resistance with 18. Robert Ajuna stole the show for the Warriors with an economical and devastating spell of 3/13, earning the morning Player of the Match accolade.

Unfazed by the morning setback, JACC exacted sweet revenge in the afternoon encounter, edging the Warriors by three wickets in a nail-biting finish. Opting to bat first, Mukono Warriors posted a competitive 126/9, driven by Alpesh Mepani (27) and Arjun Keshwala (21), as JACC bowlers Sowobi Yunus, Oyaga Sadam, and Shabir Ullah shared the spoils with two wickets apiece.

What followed was the Isiiko show. Chasing 127, the young sensation anchored the innings with a magnificent, match-winning 43, ably supported by an unbeaten 31 from Yunus as JACC crossed the line at 129/7 with just two balls to spare.

Even though Ankur Thakur fought valiantly for Mukono Warriors with three wickets, Isiiko’s brilliance with the bat carried JACC across the finish line, rightfully earning him the afternoon Player of the Match honours and cementing his status as one of Ugandan cricket’s brightest rising talents.

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Cricket

Ssempijja shows class as Tornado split series

Published

1 week ago

September 14, 2026

Kenny Malone

Lawrence Ssempijja still has the luxury Steven Tikolo no longer enjoys: the chance to lace up, walk onto the field and influence a cricket match.

A few days ago in Rwanda, Cricket Cranes coach Tikolo organised Uganda beat Sierra Leone in the morning by 114 runs at the ILT20 Continent Cup before his native Kenya faced Rwanda in the afternoon.

Having retired from playing, he could only watch as his former side took the field with the will to play. At the Florida Oval, Ssempijja was still in the thick of the action.

The Tornado Cricket Club all-rounder starred in the morning before Soroti City CC hit back in the afternoon, leaving the two sides locked at 1-1 after a demanding Group A double-header in the 2026 Men’s UG20.

“The weather was good for cricket, no rain; we had the sun the whole day, so we managed to play cricket the whole day and played some good cricket,” Ssempijja said.

“We managed to at least scoop one out of two, so we went 1-1, which is good for us, so we will be able to fight the next coming matches.”

Ssempijja was the difference in the morning, winning Player of the Match after an unbeaten 32 off 18 balls.

He then switched roles with the ball, claiming three wickets for 21 runs in four overs as Tornado defended 131 for five to beat Soroti City by 12 runs.

Soroti City managed 119 for eight in 20 overs, but the visitors returned with a response in the afternoon, winning by 60 runs to ensure the day ended all square.

For Ssempijja, the split was a fair reflection of a competitive day.

“It was a tough competition,” he said, but insisted Tornado had enough to build on heading into the next matches.

The 2026 Cricket Uganda National 50 Over League season has already shown his value to Tornado. He smashed 80 off 70 balls against Mukono Development on March 15, scored an unbeaten 27 off 43 against Jinja SS CC on April 12 and made 21 off 34 against Centurion CC on March 22.

The right-handed batter and right-arm medium-fast bowler has also remained active away from the crease, helping develop Uganda’s next generation through Cricket Uganda’s regional programmes.

He regularly conducts coaching clinics in Masaka, including at Buddu Mixed Secondary School and Masaka SSS, and has previously served as acting assistant coach of the Victoria Pearls.

But at Florida Oval, there was no clipboard or coaching manual. Ssempijja was simply a cricketer doing what cricketers do: batting, bowling and competing. And unlike Tikolo, he still gets to feel the game from inside the boundary.

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