SOCIETY & LIFESTYLE

DC CARAVANS T20 CUP 2020

AN INSIGHT INTO TANZANIA’S BIGGEST CRICKET COMPETITION By Adithyta Satish Kumar

Caravans Cricket Club is one of the prominent cricket club in the nation and registered with the National Sports Council (NSC) and Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA). With its humble beginnings in 2009, Caravans quickly rose to prominence amongst the Nation’s cricketing fraternity and is currently placed in Division A of the TCA. During its decade long success, Caravans have managed to sport top talent in the Country including the Tanzanian National Team Captain and several other National Team players.”

During its decade long success, Caravans have managed to sport top talent in the Country and currently has the Tanzanian National Team Captain in the club rooster along with 6 other National Team players.

Caravans has excelled on the wi`̅ÀœÕ}…ˆÌÃ}>“i>˜`œvv ̅iwi`̅ÀœÕ}…̅iÛ>ÀˆœÕà tournaments it has organised over the years. Caravans’ ability to organise tournaments in a professional manner resulted in the club being chosen to organise the closing ceremony of the recently concluded Advanced Players League 2020. However, the key event hosted by Caravans is the DRCC Caravans T20 Cup.

THE TOURNAMENT AND ITS HISTORY

The DRCC Caravans T20 Cup (Caravans Cup) is a 20-20 format cricket competition, featuring the Nation’s best teams. This is the only cricket tournament organised by a private entity ՘`iÀ̅i>vwˆ>̈œ˜œv/ Ƃ>˜` the DC (formerly DRCC). It is regarded to be the Country’s biggest Cricket competition and is usually played during the last quarter of the year. During this period, all major Media and Print outlets feature this tournament in their daily editorials. The tournament also features major companies in Tanzania who support this endeavour as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. Previous editions of the tournament have been

graced by the presence of the Hon. Minister of Sports, Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe, Dy. Minister of Sports, Juliana Shonza, High Commissioner of India to Tanzania, Mr. Sandeep Arya, Director of Sports, Mr. Yusuf Singo, along with other `ˆ}˜ˆÌ>ÀˆiÃ>˜` "Ãœv̜« Corporates. The tournament has been supported by companies such as Petrofuel, Alliance Insurance, Grand Restaurant, œœÕÀyiÝ]*i«Ãˆ]ˆ“>˜ˆ City as well as other Tanzanian entities.

Hosting the Nation’s biggest tournament is no ordinary achievement. The planning for the tournament begins months in advance. In previous years, the organisers provided jerseys to

The tournament begins with a grand inauguration ceremony. This year’s event was held at Mlimani City on Saturday, September 26, 2020 in the presence of a huge crowd. There were games organised for the general public to play and win prizes, and information booths set up to educate the general public about the sport as well as its presence in Tanzania. The biggest highlight of the event was the

RTQEGUUKQPCTQWPFVJGRCTMKPINQVHGCVWTKPI7PFGT

and Women’s National Team members. The event was graced by The Chairman of TCA, Premji Pindoria as well as National Team Coach Steve Tikolo.

all participating teams with the logos of the sponsors printed on them. This year marks the 6 th anniversary since the beginning of the tournament. Previous winners include Caravans, AKSC, Saint Gobain Strikers, and Aces. Caravans is the most successful team in the competition having “>`iˆÌ̜Îw˜>Ã>˜`܈˜˜ˆ˜} 2. Previous editions of the tournaments were held at all major cricket grounds in the region including Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club, Leader’s Club, Annadil Burhani Ground and University of Dar es Salaam Cricket Ground.

ÓäÓä…>ÃLii˜>`ˆvwVՏÌÞi>À across the world due to various factors that have unravelled

over the course of the year. The biggest factor being the global «>˜`i“ˆV] "6£™]܅ˆV…ˆÃ still wreaking havoc across the world. Whilst, Tanzania might not have been hard hit by the pandemic, the economy has been hit hard. Whilst the effect has been felt by the companies that have been supporting the tournament over the years, the ability of Caravans in conducting this tournament in a grand fashion has helped in their pursuit to ensure that funds are mobilised for this event. The sponsors and well-wishers who have assisted the club in the past, pledged their support this year which has resulted in the tournament being played out as usual.

The tournament is set to begin œ˜->ÌÕÀ`>Þ]"V̜LiÀÎ]ÓäÓä and will continue until MidNovember. All matches will be played at Leader’s Club Grounds in Kinondoni and the entry will be free for all. Those who attend the matches witness an incomparable event with thousands of spectators coming to the ground to view the matches. The teams have already begun re-igniting their rivalries ahead of the tournament.

We shall wait and see who emerges as the victor as the dust settles.

Picture Courtesy of Nikhil Pujara