IBI CORPORATE FINANCE FIRST TEAM LEAGUE PREVIEW (APRIL 26TH)

This weekend sees the first action of the IBI Corporate Finance First Team League kick off for 2026.

This League has been expanded to six teams for 2026 with the addition of Knockharley (who will be competing at this level for the first time). The only other change see The Hills replacing Civil Service who were promoted to the Premier League based on their performance in 2025.

Cricket Leinster would like to thank IBI Corporate Finance for expanding their sponsorship support to include the First Team League this year, it is very much appreciated.

The action this Sunday sees Terenure host Cork Harlequins whilst Adamstown travel across to The Vineyard to face The Hills. In the final game of the round, North Kildare will welcome league debutants Knockharley to The Maws in what will effectively be a local Kildare versus Meath derby.

THE HILLS vs ADAMSTOWN

A new chapter begins for The Hills this weekend, as Matthew Weldon takes the reins of a side desperate to bounce back from the disappointment of relegation last season. There is no shortage of talent at The Vineyard — the challenge now is channelling it from the off, with the tight nature of this league making early points absolutely vital.

With the bat, the jury is still out on how The Hills will line up, however the options are plentiful. Yaseen Sherzad, Nathan Rooney, Stefano Di Bartolomeo is the overseas replacing Ollie Horlock for 2026, Thomas Rooney-Murphy and Andrew Kavanagh all come into the reckoning alongside the skipper himself, and whichever order Weldon settles on, there's undeniable firepower throughout. The powerful Nathan Rooney in particular will be a handful for any attack if given the chance to get going.

The bowling has a more settled look to it. Weldon and Cian Nulty will share the new ball, though the pair will need to fill the void left by Sean McNicholl's departure in the off-season — no small ask. Rooney-Murphy and both Muzamil and Yaseen Sherzad offer strong seam support through the middle overs, while Febin Manoj is the side's frontline spinner. Andrew Kavanagh's leg-spin is also a potential extra weapon should conditions suit him.

Adamstown come into this opening fixture looking to build on their first season at this level in 2025 when they acquitted themselves well. Their batting will lean heavily on Sidharth Biju and Dinesh Antony Kidagan David, who figure to be the two men their innings is built around and both had stellar 2025 seasons. However, they go into the new campaign without overseas man Prabhanshu Kamal, who was a key figure last term, and replacing that contribution will be central to their hopes of making an impact in 2026.

It's a new-look side on the whole for the Dublin west outfit, with youngsters Aryan Adelkar, Niranjan Muthu and Shreyas Rajesh all in line to make an appearance this weekend. How they adapt to the rigours of senior cricket could go a long way towards shaping Adamstown's season. With the ball, Nithin Padmaprabhu was their standout performer last season, and his side will need him to fire if they are to put The Hills under any real pressure in this one.

The Hills have the quality to make their mark at this level again, however they'll know that strong starts are everything in a tight league. If Weldon and Nulty can rattle through Adamstown's top order early on, it will go a long way to setting the tone for a side with plenty to prove this season.

KEY BATTLE: Matthew Weldon vs Dinesh Antony Kidagan David

NORTH KILDARE VS KNOCKHARLEY

North Kildare come into this one with a point to prove. Having been in the box seat for much of last season, the side faltered and will have been bitterly disappointed to have let the title slip through their fingers, no doubt they will be hoping to challenge once again this term. The task will be an uphill one however, as having lost Husnain Maroof, as well as Badeeu and Mohammad Zaman to North County, there are three regular names who won’t be on their teamsheet this time around.

The batting centres around their opener, the classy left-hander Yash Kalasannavar, and with good reason. He was the leading batter in the inaugural First Team League, with a tally of 628 runs at an average of 62.8 apiece coming in 2025. Sayed Mehdi Shah and Yogesh Kashyap are just two of the batters who could support him, however, beyond that trio the innings takes on a different complexion. The middle order is where home fans will find the Ahmadzai brothers, Adnan and Asadullah, and Josh Uddin, all three of whom carry the ability to clear the rope and turn the game’s direction quickly.

With the ball, Nicholas Hunter and Adnan Ahmadzai are likely to share new-ball duties, as this is an area where they will truly feel the impact of Maroof’s loss. The spin department, however, is where North Kildare really do their damage, Nurulain Boda and Asadullah Ahmadzai were a handful for batters throughout 2025, claiming 22 and 19 wickets respectively, and will once again be central to their hopes of strangling opposition batting line-ups, Uddin is the third spin option for the side, whilst medium pacers Ali Elahi and Nazmus Monon are the other seam-up options to round out what is a varied attack.

Knockharley arrive on the back of a tight defeat to Terenure last weekend, however they will take plenty of encouragement from what was a positive first venture into ‘Senior’ cricket. No doubt the Kentstown outfit will be aiming to show that performance was not simply a one-off.

Brandon Kruger and Adnan Shinwari will set their side’s stall out at the top of the order, followed by Muhammad Nawaz, who had a decent start in last week’s tie, looking composed before being unfortunate to be run out. Sayed Zubair and skipper Mubeen Ali both bring serious power to the crease, ahead of the excellent stroke play of ‘Shami’ Ahmed. The star of the show last weekend was Daneyaal Janjua, whose scintillating century announced his side’s arrival at this level, he’s set to bat at number 7 and rounds out a batting unit that is capable of posting a competitive effort.

It is with the ball where Knockharley will be keen to show improvement this weekend, having found it tough going against Terenure. Ahmed Kayani and Syed Mehdi are the pair of medium pacers who could make up the opening pair, with Jack Condie and Janjua providing more solid right-arm seam options through the middle overs. Three spin options give the skipper plenty to work with, with Kruger leading that department and Kashif Ali in support, whilst the skipper Mubeen Ali showed a keenness to back his own off-breaks at the back end of the innings last weekend.

North Kildare's formidable spin attack is likely to be the difference-maker in this one, with Nurulain Boda having several strong outings last term, he could prove to be the key. Knockharley have shown they have the batting to compete, and if Daneyaal Janjua can get on top in the middle overs, and carry his brilliant form from last weekend into this fixture, it will give his side every chance of causing an upset.

KEY BATTLE Nurulain Boda vs Daneyaal Janjua

TERENURE VS CORK HARLEQUINS

Terenure come into this one riding the crest of a wave. Last weekend's sensational victory over Knockharley in the Leinster Senior Cup Preliminary will have done wonders for confidence around the club, and they will be looking to carry that momentum straight into the league campaign this weekend against a Cork Harlequins side with plenty to prove of their own.

The batting looks to have a settled feel to it, with Cotter and Morgan set to reprise their opening partnership, the latter taking the gloves as well. Henry Dall drops in at three, and after last weekend's sensational century, he will be full of confidence coming into this fixture. Zeeshan Mumtaz and Donal Lynch make up the middle order in what is shaping up to be a solid unit, and there is the added boost Sid Nair returning to the line-up this weekend, which would strengthen the batting stocks considerably should they come through fit.

With the ball, Kripesh Shetty impressed last weekend, and he will share the opening duties with Benjamin Dillon in what should be a potent opening combination. Bhavic Tukrel is the other frontline seamers in the side, with Zeeshan Mumtaz offering his left-arm seam as an all-rounder option. The absence of Naveed Khan remains a factor Terenure will need to manage, however they have been boosted this week by the arrival of Aamir Bafanda from Civil Service, whose leg-breaks will prove a massive boost to the Clee’s bowling attack. Skipper Henry Dall was the frontline spinner last weekend, however his off-breaks are now sure to be an excellent spinning support act for the hosts.

Cork Harlequins arrive determined to draw a line under what was a deeply frustrating 2025 campaign, this was in no small part down to the inconsistency of availability in their squad, as the season saw no player feature in more than ten games. The batting in particular struggled for consistency, with no batter managing to pass 200 runs across the entire campaign.

The talent, however, is undeniably there. Shivam Kislay, Adam Hickey, Devon Joyce, Tharun Bharathi Senthil Kumar Kavitha and Sumantu Powale make up a batting unit that will be eager to show what it is truly capable of over a full season, and this weekend represents the perfect opportunity to make an early statement.

With the ball, Seanan Jones leads the way with his left-arm seam, having claimed 20 wickets last season to stand as the standout performer in what was otherwise a difficult year for his side. He will be supported by Mustak Mardin, Amit Singh Dangi, Sidharth Pushp, Kieran O'Reily and Ryan Joyce in a bowling attack that carries plenty of variety and will be looking to give Cork Harlequins the platform they need to compete.

Terenure go in as favourites on the back of last weekend's performance, however Cork Harlequins will be no pushovers, and the big-match feel of a first game of the season could suit a side with a point to prove. If Seanan Jones can make early inroads with the new ball, it will give the visitors every chance of making this a very interesting contest.

KEY BATTLE: Henry Dall vs Seanan Jones

IBI CORPORATE FINANCE FIRST TEAM LEAGUE

MATCH DAY 1, APRIIL 26TH, ALL 12 NOON STARTS

At The Vineyard, The Hills vs Adamstown
At The Maws, North Kildare vs Knockharley
At Terenure, Terenure vs Cork Harlequins