Manama, Muharraq set for cup showdown

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bitter rivals Manama and Muharraq lock horns tomorrow night in this year’s Bahrain Super Cup—the traditional annual opening game of the new national basketball season.

The game is scheduled for an 8pm tip-off and it will be played at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.

The two teams will be battling for the right to lift the Late Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa Cup.

The game’s winners’ trophy has been named in honour of the former Bahrain Basketball Association president, who made many key contributions to the national game during his tenure.

The one-off contest has been won the last three seasons by Al Ahli, and this year will have a new team taking the trophy.

Manama were the losing opponents of Ahli in last year’s game.

They have won the Bahrain Super Cup the most times in its history with four, from the 2015/2016 to the 2018/2019 seasons.

Meanwhile, both Manama and Muharraq are also set to compete in the FIBA West Asia Super League (FIBA WASL) 2023/2024 season.

The new campaign was originally scheduled to begin on Monday this week, but has been rescheduled to 13 November in view of the current severe security situation in the Middle East, according to the FIBA Regional Office Asia.

Manama are the reigning champions in the WASL.

They are in Group B of the tournament’s Gulf sub-zone along with Kazma of Kuwait, Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE and Al Shamal from Qatar.

Muharraq, on the other hand, who are making their debut in the tournament, are in Group A alongside Al Ahli Jeddah of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait SC of Kuwait and Al Rayyan of Qatar.

Manama became the first-ever FIBA WASL champions in June after defeating Kuwait 67-59 in the gold medal game of the FIBA WASL Final Eight, held in Dubai.