LIONS A's cricketers opened their quest for a triumphant run in the 2024 Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) Delaware Champions League grandly, clobbering Delaware Upanga SC A by five wickets early this week.

The TCA-organized tournament, involving Division A clubs, is one of the high-profile club events seeking to efficiently develop cricket locally.

Rishen Patel's solid 59-ball 68 not out was the most noticeable batting game, as his outfit- Delaware Upanga SC A- locked horns with Lions A in the game that took place at the Gymkhana oval in Dar es Salaam.

Delaware Upanga SC A, unfortunately, ended up conceding the loss to Lions A, leaving the eventual winners enjoying a winning start.

Having won the toss, the Ashish Kamania-led Delaware Upanga SC A chose to bat - notching 160/6 in 20 overs.

The batting team could not make good use of their chance to take the crease first, with Rishen's 68 runs not out happening to be the notable display.

The opener blasted five boundaries and two sixes in his innings, offering a meaningful contribution to his team's acquisition of the figure.

The player successfully made up for a less convincing outing his fellow opener, Vikram Rathore, staged as the latter had a brief presence, returning two runs short of two digits.

Skipper Ashish and Prem Thakkar moreover boosted Delaware Upanga SC A's figure, as the former ended with a 20-ball 36.

The youthful Prem, batting at number three, had Delaware Upanga SC A posting 66 runs whilst losing two wickets once the top-order batsman exited the crease after seven overs with 23 runs to his name. 

Fourteen extras - two byes, one leg bye, 10 wides, and one no ball were moreover a boost in the total registered by Delaware Upanga SC A.

Lions A's bowling unit worked hard to neutralize the Delaware Upanga SC A cricketers- and the former's plan reached fruition.

Augustine Mwamele stood out of the rest of the bowling unit having notched 2-42 in in his four overs.

Shamim Ali and Umar Shaikh sought to put pressure on the Delaware Upanga SC A batting unit, posting one wicket apiece.

Chasing tricky 161 runs to grab the win was a challenge that Lions A cricketers embraced, as the performers went on to notch 161/5 with two balls to spare.

Kashif Ahmad- playing as an opener - spearheaded the fruitful chase with his 62 runs- giving his side the crucial, morale-boosting start.

Fellow top-order batsmen moreover made their presence count, having made their way back with two digits.

An equally notable contribution that fellow opener Ejaz Aziz chipped in with gave the batting team a great start, pushing the club's figure to 137 runs once Ahmad exited the crease in the 16th over.

The no-nonsense Aziz made his way back with an impressive 41 runs from 28 balls, even though the performer left the crease earlier.

Lions A were 81-1 after nine overs when Aziz exited the crease, having been bowled by the Delaware Upanga SC A bowler Muhammad Sohail.

Skipper Mohamed Salim efficiently chipped in with his 13-ball 14 for Lions A.

The gifted Umar Shaikh made certain of Lions A's successful chase with his 28 runs not out, nailing three fours along the way.

Dhyey Shah battled to weaken Lions A's resolve, having garnered 2-28 in his four overs, he though failed to bail Delaware Upanga SC A out despite playing his heart out. 

Strikers, Pak Stars A, Delaware Upanga SC A, Aga Khan SC, Caravans, Aces A, and Lions A are the teams battling for the silverware in the 2024 TCA Delaware Champions League.