Toss: Budondo Turacos (Bowl)
Masese Hornbills: 71/5 (10 overs)
Budondo Turacos: 72/5 (9 overs)
Result: Budondo Turacos won by 5 wickets
Player of the Match: Agaba Eddy
Budondo Turacos completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds of the tournament to lift the inaugural Nile Super T10 title after defeating Masese Hornbills by five wickets in Sunday’s final at the Jinja SS Cricket Ground.
Having scraped into the knockout stage after a difficult league campaign, the Turacos saved their best cricket for the business end of the competition, stunning table-toppers Bugembe Pelicans in the semi-finals before overcoming Masese Hornbills to be crowned champions.
After winning the toss and opting to field, Budondo Turacos produced a disciplined bowling display to restrict Masese Hornbills to 71/5 from their allotted 10 overs.
Edwin Nuwagaba top-scored with 19 off 11 balls, while Daniel Muhumuza remained unbeaten on 15.
Robert Ajuna led the attack with outstanding figures of 3/13 from two overs, while Sowobi Yunus and Sajjabi Ibrahim claimed a wicket each.
Chasing a modest target of 72, the Turacos suffered early setbacks before Mudoola Edgar injected momentum with a rapid 21 off just nine balls.
Player of the Match Eddy Agaba then held the innings together with an unbeaten 20 from 14 deliveries, guiding his side to 72/5 in just nine overs.
Sowobi Yunus struck the winning run as the Turacos sealed victory with an over to spare.
The triumph capped an extraordinary campaign for Budondo Turacos, who had managed only two victories in eight round-robin matches and finished fourth on the standings.
Under the tournament format, that was just enough to secure a place in the semi-finals, where they produced their biggest performance of the season by eliminating top-seeded Bugembe Pelicans with a convincing seven-wicket victory.
Their championship run was built on resilience after a difficult start to the competition.
The Turacos opened with consecutive defeats to Bugembe Pelicans and Masese Hornbills before earning their first win against Walukuba Eagles.
Another loss to Kimaka KingFishers was followed by a second victory over Walukuba, leaving them with just two wins from the league phase.
Despite entering the knockout stage as underdogs, Budondo Turacos peaked at the perfect time.
They first upset Bugembe Pelicans in the semi-finals before chasing down 72 against Masese Hornbills in the final, completing a memorable late surge to become the first-ever Nile Super T10 champions.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
MVP & Best Batter- Calvin Watuwa (Kimaka King Fishers)
Best Bowler- Pushprit Singh- (Masese Hornbills)
