TAKASHINGA Patriots 1 may have missed out on the NPL T20 Blast final, but their young left-arm spinner Ryan Simbi finished the tournament with a distinction none of the finalists could match.
The 21-year-old claimed 19 wickets in just six bowling innings to finish as the competition’s leading wicket-taker and earn the bowler of the tournament honours.
Simbi’s figures were outstanding for a bowler whose club did not make it to the championship match. While players from Gladiators Cricket Club and SOGO Rangers had the opportunity to add to their tallies during the knockout stages, the Takashinga spinner had already done enough to remain ahead of the field.
He finished with a bowling average of 7.89 and an economy rate of 6.52, while also delivering two maiden overs, the most recorded by any bowler in the tournament.
His 19 wickets meant he averaged more than three dismissals per bowling appearance, a return that few bowlers manage over a T20 competition.
Simbi, whose full name is Ryan Clayton Simbi, was born on November 30, 2004, and bowls slow left-arm orthodox spin.
A former Zimbabwe Under-19 representative, he has continued his cricket development at Takashinga, where his performances in this year’s NPL T20 Blast have given him another notable achievement.
The tournament was particularly competitive for bowlers, with several clubs boasting aggressive batting line-ups capable of scoring quickly.
Yet Simbi managed to take wickets regularly without allowing opponents to score freely.
His economy rate of 6.52 was impressive in a competition that produced 8,885 runs, 727 fours and 286 sixes across 32 matches.
The two maiden overs were another measure of his control. In T20 cricket, where batters are constantly searching for scoring opportunities, completing an over without conceding a run is no small achievement.
For Takashinga, Simbi was their most successful bowler and one of the players who made the strongest individual impressions during the tournament.
His figures also placed him ahead of several experienced bowlers from clubs that progressed further in the competition.
Rimuka Cricket Club’s Tendai Chisoro finished second on the wicket-taking list with 18 wickets from nine bowling innings at an average of 10.39.
SOGO Rangers’ Daniel Jackiel also took 18 wickets from nine innings, averaging 13.89.
Rwandan international Ignace Ntirenganya, who represented Rimuka, finished fourth with 16 wickets, while Gladiators’ Victor Nyauchi completed the leading five with 14.
Simbi took more wickets than Chisoro and Jackiel despite bowling in three fewer innings.
His average was also the best among the five leading wicket-takers, underlining how little he conceded for each dismissal.
Takashinga had their share of difficult matches during the competition, including a narrow defeat to eventual champions Gladiators.
In that encounter, Gladiators chased down a target of 197 with just two balls remaining, winning by two wickets.
Although Takashinga could not prevent that result, their campaign still produced the tournament’s leading bowler.
The club also had a prominent performer with the bat in Kudzai Maunze, who scored 194 runs from six innings and struck 13 sixes, the second-highest number in the competition.
His attacking batting and Simbi’s wicket-taking gave Takashinga important individual contributions in a tournament eventually dominated by Gladiators.
The champions retained their title after beating Rangers by seven wickets in Saturday’s final at Harare Sports Club, collecting US$25,000 in prize money.
Rangers received US$20,000 as runners-up.
Gladiators’ Arineshto Vhezha enjoyed an excellent finish to the competition, claiming 11 wickets across the three knockout matches that carried his side to the title.
But when the final bowling standings were settled, Simbi remained on top.
For the former Zimbabwe Under-19 spinner, the achievement is a useful measure of his progress in senior domestic cricket.
He has shown he can take wickets consistently against experienced opposition while maintaining control over his scoring rate.
At 21, he still has time to develop his game further, and his performance in the NPL T20 Blast gives him a strong foundation on which to build.
Takashinga did not finish the tournament with the championship trophy, but they had the bowler who claimed more wickets than anyone else.
The 19 wickets in six innings was enough for Simbi to make the 2026 NPL T20 Blast his tournament with the ball.
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