Match result (Final)
Lugazi Trekkers: 150/8 in overs
Buvuma Sailors: 146/8 in 20 overs
Lugazi Trekkers won by 4 Runs
Under the warm late-afternoon sun at Florida Cricket Ground, the final of the inaugural Mukono T20 Cup unfolded with all the twists and tension of a story written for the ages.
Lugazi Trekkers, having won the toss and opted to bat, set the stage for a contest that would sway from one side to the other until the very last ball.
Their innings began with promise. Jaffer Ochaya’s crisp 20 off 19 and captain Amos Ahura’ fiery 19 from just 10 deliveries carved out early momentum.
Yet the innings soon became a dance between opportunity and setback.
Titus Ssembuya stepped in with a steadying 34 off 26, while Abdulshakur Doka injected life with a punchy 24. But as regular wickets fell, the Trekkers struggled to break fully free. They posted 150/8—competitive, but far from comfortable.
Buvuma Sailors, who had beaten the Trekkers twice in the group stages, began their chase with confidence, only to be jolted early.
Then came the storm named Harsh Panchal. His breathtaking 84 off 51 balls—decorated with six fours and seven majestic sixes—ignited the final.
Every time the Sailors appeared to falter, Harsh dragged them back into the fight, even as wickets fell steadily around him.
But this final belonged to one man: Innocent Akena.
Bowling with precision, venom, and unshakable calm, Akena ripped through the Sailors’ lineup. His figures—4 for 16 in four overs—tell only part of the story.
He broke partnerships just as they began to bloom, smothered momentum with each breakthrough, and forced the Sailors into desperation.
When Harsh finally perished in the penultimate over, caught attempting one last heave, the hopes of Buvuma flickered and died. They closed on 146/8, four runs short of glory.
The Lugazi Trekkers erupted. Champions of the first-ever Mukono T20 Cup—an achievement etched instantly into the tournament’s folklore.
And with it, Akena Innocent stood tall as the deserved Player of the Match, his spell the axis on which the final turned.
For Njeru Warriors, the heartbreak ran deep. Their only defeat came in the final, a loss they will replay in their minds for months.
Missed fields, dropped catches, and failure to rotate the strike in the chase all contributed to a narrow four-run shortfall—small moments that became the difference between silver and gold.
Earlier in the day, Mukono Development edged Buikwe Gladiators by just one run in a nail-biting third-place playoff, adding yet another dramatic chapter to a tournament that delivered from start to finish.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Best batter – Simon Ssesazi (Buvuma Sailors)
Best bowler – Innocent Elvis Akena (Lugazi Trekkers)
Youngest player of the Tournament– Kenneth Ogenrwot (Mukono Development)
Player of Series – Edwin Nuwagaba (Lugazi Trekkers)
