New teams taking part in 2024-2026 ICC Men's CWC Cricket World Cup Challenge League

The 2024-2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League will see four new teams enter the fray, having not featured in the previous pathway tournament: the 2019-2022 Challenge League.

Among the new nations joining the other eight who retained their places are: Kuwait, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Bahrain and Tanzania.

PNG are a standout name as their participation in the Challenge League this year follows relegation from League 2 in the 2019-2023 window, where they finished in the bottom four and couldn’t progress to the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

Tanzania, Kuwait and Bahrain on the other hand, gained their spots in the Challenge League after finishing among the top four nations at the 2024 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League playoffs in March.

Surprisingly, the three qualified for the playoff tournament having met the requirements as being among the four nations with the highest Twenty20 international rankings.

The other team Saudi Arabia, who only finished seventh in the playoff, and thus eliminated from World Cup Qualification.

Kuwait and PNG are in Challenge League A that starts on 25 September in Kenya, while Tanzania and Bahrain take their place in League B.

Cricket Kenya's Men's selection panel has named the Senior Men’s squad that will feature in the first round of the 2024-2026 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A tournament later this month in Nairobi, Kenya.

Shem Ngoche will make his third stint as skipper, picking up the laurels from Rakep Patel for the second time in their joint career. Ngoche first took over Patel in 2018 and relinquished the armband to Sachin Bhudia in 2022 ahead of the T20 sub Regional Qualifier in Rwanda in December 2022.

Perhaps the biggest news coming out of the camp is the return of Dhiren Gondaria, who makes his return to the side since he featured in the Oman leg of the 

2019-2022 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League B tournament in December 2019.

On the backdrop of Gondaria's return, All-rounder Sachin Gill finally lands his maiden List A call - up after featuring in July’s two-match 50 over friendly matches against Nigeria. The 27 year old finds his way into the side after meeting the conditions of ICC Exceptional Circumstances. Gill is currently plying his trade in the Super League side -Swamibapa Sports Club after playing for Ruaraka Sports Club for the last two seasons.

Neil Mugabe is the other List A debutant, having already made his T20I debut in December 2023 in Benoni, South Africa, during the Africa Cup East - West prequalifying round.

Sukhdeep Singh makes way for Irfan Karim who was dropped from the All Africa Games in Accra and the subsequent 4-nation and Nigeria bilateral in June/July.

The Kanbis Sports Club pair of Nelson Odhiambo and Emmanuel Bundi have also been left out of the side.

Kenya’s first fixture at the Challenge Cup is against Jersey at Ruaraka Sports Club on Wednesday 25 September.

Squad

1. Shem Ngoche (captain)

2. Rakep Patel

3. Pushkar Sharma

4. Rushab Patel

5. Francis Mutua

6. Gerard Muthui

7. Sachin Gill

8. Neil Mugabe

9. Vraj Patel

10. Lucas Oluoch

11. Dhiren Gondaria

12. Peter Koech

13. Sachin Bhudia

14. Irfan Karim