Over 100 local and 10 foreign players are expected to feature at the Ghanshyan TEN10 Cricket Tournament on June 8-22 at the Cutchi Leva grounds in Nairobi West.
The tournament will feature eight franchises, comprising upcoming players and seasoned veterans of international cricket from Test nations.
Among the confirmed internationals are Wayne Parnell, Janneman Malan and Richard Levi from South Africa, Ryan Burl and Sean Williams from Zimbabwe, Asghar Afghan and Mohammad Shahzad from Afghanistan alongside Naman Ojha from India. Also drafted into the teams are eight players from the Saurashtra Cricket Club of India.
Levi’s return to the country stirs memories of his appearance in the 2022 Swaminarayan Pro20 held at the same venue.
The tournament’s coaching roster is equally impressive. It includes prominent figures like Joseph Angara, Peter Ongondo, David ‘Alolo’ Asiji, Josephat Irungu, Lameck Onyango, Martin Suji, Jimmy Kamande and Veer Dave.
These seasoned mentors will lead the franchise teams in a tournament that aims to reignite public interest in a sport that has struggled to captivate audiences in recent years.
The teams are captained by notable figures in the cricketing scene with Collins Obuya at the helm of the Mombasa Cement Giants, Dhiren Gondaria in charge of the Masaai Warriors and Lucas Oluoch tutoring the Mahadev Strikers.
Rushab Patel will lead the Ghanshyam Mavericks, Sachin Bhudia for Hari OM, Rakep Patel for the Ayodhya Warriors, Sukdeep Singh for the Fearless Fighters and Nelson Odhiambo will lead the Ndovu Crushers.
The tournament, organised by the East Africa Satsang Swaminarayan Temple, also features upcoming youngsters like Stian Smith, Neil Doshi and Yash Gohil.
Asiji, an experienced youth coach, remarked: “It’s good to see the organisers giving a chance to some young players. Playing in such an event is a big platform as far as exposure is concerned and the youngsters drafted will benefit.”
