Unimoni-RCA Premier League 2019 ends on a high

The Unimoni–RCA Premier League ended on a high note with Challengers Cricket Club crowned the champions of the tournament after defeating Telugu Royals by 4 wickets while youngster Zappy Bimenyimana was the star performer with a well-crafted 70 runs off 60 balls.

Challengers Cricket Club was crowned the champions in the final game that took place on Sunday, 10th November 2019, at Gahanga International Cricket Stadium in Kigali. Sponsored by Unimoni (a renowned global provider of financial solutions), the tournament which started on 21st July 2019 had attracted the participation of twenty-four clubs including fourteen men’s clubs and ten women’s clubs playing for the championship in a 50-over game format.

The Unimoni-RCA Premier League was played in two divisions. Division one matches were played at the Gahanga International Stadium while the IPRC Oval Kicukiro Stadium was home to Division two matches. This year’s edition marked the sixth year of association between the Rwanda  Cricket Association (RCA) and Unimoni, which was formerly known as UAE Exchange.

Following the awards handover to winners, Peeush Pillai, Unimoni Rwanda Country Head, reiterated that the brand has a close affiliation to various sports for far too long. For instance, Unimoni has been committed to supporting flagship sporting events such as The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Asia Cup, which was held in the UAE, and T20 National Cup, which was held in Uganda.

“The purpose of Unimoni as a brand is to connect communities the world over seamlessly, fulfilling their financial services needs by providing unique and fulfilling experiences. Cricket is one such game that connects communities the world over through a fine, yet strong bond of camaraderie and hence, we feel there is a perfect brand connect. It also helps us to connect with a wider audience on a common platform. Rwanda has a talent-rich pool of sports players and we are proud to be instrumental in nurturing the country’s local talent, especially the budding cricketers, through the Rwanda Cricket Association, with whom we have been associated for the last six years. We are glad to see the cricket club at RCA grow from 10 to 24, with active participation from men and women,” said Pillai.

Today, the Unimoni-RCA Premier League is one of the most celebrated cricket events in the region.

According to Pillai, “We are glad that the nurtured efforts and support to the cricket club players has garnered a lot of appreciation from the Rwanda government, RCA and Rwandan customers. And we believe that sponsorships from corporates like us help sports associations to nurture the talent of budding sportsperson and facilitate them with opportunities to represent the country in the long term.”

As the tournament kicked off, Emmanuel Byiringiro, RCA General Manager, extolled Unimoni for giving visibility to the Cricket tournament. “Our partnership with a global brand such as Unimoni gives this tournament the impetus it needs. The continuous support from Unimoni has been a major factor in the growing popularity of the Cricket Premier League in the country. We believe that sports tournaments like this are key to identifying and developing local talents.”

Unimoni is part of Finablr, a global platform for Payments and Foreign Exchange solutions with deep regulatory know-how, technology expertise, and industry-leading partnerships. Finablr companies provide a broad array of tailored and trusted financial solutions for consumers and businesses. Unimoni embodies the group’s commitment to creating a world where money moves seamlessly across geographies and enables people to fulfil their financial ambitions; and is committed to driving the agenda of innovation, entrepreneurship, and connected experiences to deliver enhanced value to customers, partners and stakeholders. With a global reach spanning 170+ countries, Finablr companies processed over 150 million transactions in 2018, managing nearly USD 115 billion for customers.