Uganda’s U-19 cricket national team, the Baby Cricket Cranes, have departed for Kigali, Rwanda, determined to keep their ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup dream alive.
The 14-man squad will compete in the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Division Two Qualifier, scheduled from August 7–16, 2026, with the immediate objective of regaining Africa Division One status and moving a step closer to securing a fourth appearance at the global showpiece.
The team was officially flagged off on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Lugogo by National Council of Sports (NCS) Assistant General Secretary (Technical), Milton Chebet.
Uganda heads into the tournament eager to bounce back after suffering relegation from Africa Division One for the first time in the country’s history during the previous qualifiers in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Baby Cricket Cranes have undergone an extensive preparation programme, including three intensive training camps. Their first camp was held in Fort Portal following last year’s Skyview Boys Schools Cricket Week before the squad assembled for additional residential camps in Kampala ahead of the Kigali assignment.
The team also gained valuable competitive experience during the High-Performance Cup Series, where they defeated Rwanda U-19 and the Uganda Emerging XI to emerge overall champions.
With promotion back to Africa Division One firmly in their sights, Uganda believes it has the quality to challenge for a place in the final qualifying stage for the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Head coach Grace Mutyagaba expressed confidence in the team’s readiness after months of preparation.
“The boys are ready for this challenge and have shown great enthusiasm throughout our preparations. We have spent the last few weeks working on key areas, especially improving our approach against spin, strengthening our combinations and building stronger batting and bowling partnerships,” Mutyagaba said.
Team captain Daniel Rubangakene believes Uganda’s batting depth will be one of the side’s greatest strengths during the tournament.
“Our biggest strength is our batting. We have players who can bat from number one all the way to number nine. We thank Cricket Uganda for the support, and we want to assure our fans that we shall fight to win every game in Kigali,” Rubangakene said.
Uganda has previously qualified for the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup on three occasions—2004 in Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2006 in Colombo, Sri Lanka; and 2022 in the West Indies.
The country’s best performance came at the 2022 tournament, where the Baby Cricket Cranes defeated Scotland to finish 13th overall.
Uganda has also won the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier twice, in 2009 and 2021, while finishing runners-up on four occasions.
The Africa Division Two Qualifier will feature hosts Rwanda alongside Nigeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Uganda. The top two teams will secure promotion to the Africa Division One Qualifier, keeping their hopes alive of reaching the 2028 ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Uganda U-19 Squad
Ronald Rubangakene
Samuel Ahaisibwe
Devansh Patel
Robert Owilli (Wicketkeeper)
Abraiz Ali
Richard Sohera
Daniel Rubangakene (Captain)
Jackson Asiku
Kenneth Isiko
Adam Kassim
Felix Ocham
Eric Mukisa
Larry Itagi
Hamidu Munigwa
Non-Travelling Reserves
Ryan Agaba
Ben Solomon Mulindwa
Technical Team
Head Coach: Grace Mutyagaba
Assistant Coach: Jonathan Sebanja
Physiotherapist: Habiba Kulthum Anguyo
Analyst: Jeff Mwesigwa Kasozi
Media Manager: Ivan Cyprian Sajabi
Team Manager: Sylvester Rokani
