Uganda and Kenya meet for the third time in the ILT20 Continent Cup on Saturday, with the regional rivals carrying a win apiece into a final that promises another closely fought battle in Kigali.

Their two previous encounters have produced completely different outcomes, making the final difficult to read from the earlier results alone.

Kenya dominated the opening contest on September 12, overcoming Uganda’s 189/6 with an eight-wicket victory. The chase was completed with 20 balls still available.

Dhiren Gondaria was at the centre of Kenya’s success, striking 94 from 47 deliveries in a powerful display at the top of the order. Rakep Patel complemented him with an unbeaten 56 from 35 balls, with the two putting together a 119-run stand.

Uganda had appeared to post a competitive total after Gerald Olipa made 53, Riazat Ali Shah scored 45, Kenneth Waiswa contributed 37 and Charles Musemeza added 30.

Kenya, however, attacked the target from the outset and finished on 193/2 after only 16.4 overs.

The Cricket Cranes turned the tables when the sides met again on Friday.

Uganda recovered from the earlier defeat by posting 197/7 before producing a much-improved bowling performance to dismiss Kenya for 150 in 19 overs.

The 47-run victory not only levelled the head-to-head record but also brought Kenya’s seven-match winning streak to an end.

For Uganda, the turnaround has come at an important stage of the competition.

The Cricket Cranes had already booked their place in the final after overcoming Rwanda by 72 runs on Thursday. They made 188/2, led by Robinson Obuya’s unbeaten 118, before limiting the hosts to 116/9.

Obuya’s century has added another dimension to Uganda’s batting line-up, which already features the likes of Olipa and Riazat.

Kenya arrive at the final with the stronger overall tournament record. They had won their first seven matches and accumulated 14 points to secure the top position before Friday’s defeat.

Uganda had won six of their seven matches before the final weekend.

But the recent results suggest that past tournament form may not tell the whole story.

Kenya have already demonstrated that they can chase a big Ugandan total when their top order gets going. Gondaria’s first-match innings remains a warning for the Cricket Cranes, particularly given how quickly Kenya took control of that chase.

Uganda, on the other hand, showed on Friday that they can put pressure on Kenya’s entire batting order. Dismissing all 10 wickets after conceding 193/2 in the previous meeting represents a substantial change in the contest between the two sides.

The final therefore presents two contrasting questions.

Can Kenya’s aggressive batting unit reproduce the dominance it showed in the first meeting? Or can Uganda’s bowlers repeat Friday’s performance while their batting unit maintains its recent scoring form?

The Cricket Cranes have scored 188/2 against Rwanda and 197/7 against Kenya in their last two matches, giving them plenty of confidence with the bat.

For Kenya, Gondaria and Patel will again be central figures, while Uganda will look to Obuya, Olipa and Riazat to provide the runs needed to set up another strong total.

After two matches that produced decisive victories on either side, neither team enters the final without evidence that it can hurt the other.

One win apiece has settled nothing.

On Saturday, the rivalry gets its final chapter — with the ILT20 Continent Cup trophy at stake.