Kanbis immediate former skipper Rajesh Bhudia has asked supporters to exercise restraint before passing any definitive judgement on his club in the ongoing Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) Super League.
The way the league defending champions have performed in the league; one cannot help but say that the Eastleigh High School side have been absolutely disastrous.
"Patience is key at the moment. The team hasn't played well this season and it’s not the best results we would have wished for when the season began. It’s all about patience. If we spend more time together and play together, the results will come," Bhudia, who relinquished his captaincy to all-rounder Dhiren Gondaria at the start of the season, said.
From 12 matches, Kanbis have already lost five—the highest number of losses at the club in a single season in over a decade.
Last weekend, they registered a double loss to Ruaraka Sports Club to leave them with only one win in five matches.
With the likes of Vinod Rabadia, Ramesh Mepani, Nelson Odhiambo injured and a number of clubs acquiring professionals from the subcontinent and Uganda, it has been a tough season for the multiple league champions.
Bhudia insisted that playing teams that have invested on foreign talents while his team has once again settled on young inexperienced players was going to be a difficult challenge in their quest of defending the title.
“It was always going to be a difficult challenge taking on teams that have invested heavily in foreign talents at a time when we have a number of injured players and have introduced new side. We have a number of young players who we have promoted this season and are learning the trade," Bhudia said.
While urging the fans to be patient with the new-look side, Bhudia also said he is hopeful of the players delivering in the coming days. The off-spinner believes the team will come good soon with quite a few young players ready to step up.
The former national team player said he is hopeful of a positive results in the remaining matches. “These things take time and I am confident we will see improvement in our next matches,” Bhudia said.
While all but two Super League sides have gone for foreign players, Kanbis has stuck with local talent.
“I am sure our supporters will rally behind them. Despite the current results, I believe this is exciting times for Kanbis with new names and faces coming to the fore. Our talent pipeline has produced the likes of Pushpak Kerai, Nicshay Kerai, Sachin Bhudia and Mikunj Pindolia over the last few years and our development systems are clearly in good shape,” he added. Kanbis play away to Sir Ali in their next match.
