The eighth edition of the Kwibuka T20 tournament will get underway on June 9 in Kigali and will see 11 countries participating in the competition that will conclude on June 18. Gahanga International Cricket Stadium and IPR Kicukiro Cricket ground will be the two venues for the tournament that will be played in a round-robin format followed by play-offs. The event will be conducted under the able aegis of the Rwanda Cricket Association.
Teams that have confirmed their participation are Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. While Kenya are the defending champions, Brazil and Zimbabwe will make their debut in the Kwibuka T20 Tournament. Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have been the champions in the past. Kenya won their fourth title in 2021. Their previous three wins came in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Uganda on the other hand have won twice, in 2014 and 2016. Tanzania have won the competition just once, in 2019.
Last year, less than half of the total number of teams participating this year featured in the event as some of them had to pull out at the last moment due to COVID-19 restrictions. Stephen Musaale, Chairman of the local Cricket governing body (RCA) said, “It’s going to be a very nice but tight challenge this time round and seeing the tournament attracting more countries is an indication that it is growing edition after edition.”
The inaugural season of Kwibuka T20 tournament was played in 2014 and since then the competition has been held annually. In 2020, due to COVID-19, the tournament did not take place. It is the flagship event of the women’s cricket calendar in Rwanda. Through this tournament, the cricket community gets a chance to contribute towards Rwanda’s healing process in view of the atrocities committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The participating teams get a chance to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial and take a look at what the country went through during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Apart from this, they also get the opportunity to visit other places like the Kigali Arena and Gahanga Cricket stadium.
Going strong in its eighth edition, the Kwibuka T20 tournament is one of the most popular competitions in women’s cricket.
Past Winners of Kwibuka Women’s Cricket Tournament
| Year | Winner |
| 2014 | Uganda |
| 2015 | Kenya |
| 2016 | Uganda |
| 2017 | Kenya |
| 2018 | Kenya |
| 2019 | Tanzania |
| 2020 | The tournament did not take place due to COVID restrictions |
| 2021 | Kenya |
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
