Nigeria’s Yellow-Greens lose to Uganda in ILT20 final

Nigeria’s Yellow-Greens lost to Uganda by six wickets in the final of the ILT20 Continent Cup in Kigali, Rwanda, finishing second in the four-nation tournament—their last outing in 2024.

Nigeria began the competition with a strong start, securing two wins against host Rwanda and Botswana. However, they faced a tough challenge with five consecutive losses before staging a comeback to reach the final.

Sylvester Okpe, the Yellow-Greens’ captain, reflected on the team’s growth throughout the competition, highlighting the positive impact it had ahead of the final phase of the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers next year.

“I think we are now more confident and expressive than we have been in recent months, and we really look forward to better days,” Okpe said.

“Generally, our performances with the bat and the ball as well as fielding have been impressive. The guys have been more fearless with their batting, and the bowling has been more tactical.” He added.

Looking ahead to 2025, Nigeria’s major challenge will be to secure qualification for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

The Yellow-Greens have already secured a spot in the next stage by winning the Sub-Regional Qualifier C. They will now face Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Namibia, and Zimbabwe for a place in the World Cup.

Writing by Abdullahi Lamino