BanABC Sup8r ready to explode

Shabanie Mine, attempt to bury a troubled Premiership league campaign with a date against Gunners at Ascot on Saturday.
Shabanie Mine are the only team taking part for the first time in the competition, which features the Premiership’s top eight finishers from the previous season.
Shabanie caused a stir in their debut season in 2001 when they won the BP Cup after beating Dynamos 1-0 in the final.
The Chinda Boys also reached the final of the Zifa Unity Cup and lost 4-1 to Highlanders in the same year and finished third in the league race.
Despite establishing themselves as a force to reckon with soon after joining the Premiership, and at their Maglas fortress, Shabanie have suffered during the past 10 years, including relegation in 2006.
Coach Arnold Jani yesterday said the Chinda Boys were looking forward to the tournament as they battle to erase memories of a nightmarish start in the league this season.
“I think we need this cup badly because our trophy cabinet has very few items in display. We are hoping for the best because we had a bad start this season. There has been a lot of confusion with all the misunderstandings between the coaching department and the executive early in the year.
“But those things have been solved and we are now moving forward. The team is in good shape and this is an opportunity to achieve something big this year.
“Everyone is up and running except midfielder Rowan Nenzou who is out with a groin injury,” said Jani.
Their opponents Gunners have had a poor record in the competition and will be hoping to go past the quarterfinal stage for the first time this year.
Gunners took part in the last two tournaments without much success.
They lost 1-0 in a replay against Lengthens last year after the original tie was abandoned in extra time due to bad light with the teams level on 1-1.
They also lost in the last eight in 2009 when they went down 2-3 to Dynamos.
Both Shabanie Mine and Gunners will be out to redeem themselves after suffering a lot in their troubled campaigns in the Premiership.
They are currently in the bottom four with the league race heading towards the halfway mark next week.
Gunners will face Shabanie Mine in their opening game of the BancABC tournament without head coach Darlington Dodo who leaves for South Africa tomorrow for the All Africa Games qualifier against the host nation’s Under-23 side in Johannesburg.
Dodo, who is the Young Warriors assistant coach, just returned to work last week after missing two matches but immediately joined the Young Warriors as they stepped up preparations for the trip.
But more excitement is expected on Sunday when CAPS United and Highlanders renew their rivalry in the other quarter-final match at Baghdad on Sunday.
Stakes are higher in this year’s competition, after the sponsors poured in US$500 000, including taking care of all expenses, to make it the richest knockout tournament on the domestic scene.
Winners will walk away with US$50 000.
Dynamos are the defending champions after beating CAPS United 3-2 in last year’s final where they pocketed US$40 000.
The 2011 sponsorship deal includes kit, accommodation, transport and individual player awards for man-of-the-match, player of the tournament, top goal scorer and most disciplined player.
PSL chief executive Kennedy Ndebele yesterday said the Premiership programme will take a break this weekend to make way for the BancABC Sup8r matches.
Dynamos will play Hwange in the other quarter-final match in Triangle on July 9 while Motor Action and Monomotapa will complete the fixtures line-up on July 10.
“There are no league matches this weekend because we don’t want to mix two tournaments. We cannot play two competitions at the same time.
“But we will have a full Premiership programme on the weekend of July 2-3.
“We are also suspending Premiership games on the weekend of the other quarterfinals to be played in July.
“Apart from the need to spread the BancABC matches to other areas, our Young Warriors will be hosting South Africa in an All-Africa Games qualifier the same weekend.
“We didn’t want a counter attraction and it’s good the matches will be played out of Harare,” said Ndebele.
Fixtures
BancABC Sup8r quarterfinals
Saturday
Gunners v Shabanie Mine (Ascot)
Sunday
Highlanders v CAPS United (Baghdad)
Sat (July 9)
Dynamos v Hwange (Gibbo)
Sun (July 10)
Monomotapa v Motor Action (Sakubva).