KUWAIT -- Iran’s Saba Battery basketball team defeated Kuwaiti Al-Qadsia on Thursday in the 19th edition of the Asian Clubs Basketball Championship opening match.

Defending champions won 92-60 over the hosts and were set to defeat Al-Wasl of the Emirates on Friday night to pave its way for the second successive championship.
Saba Battery is in Group B along with hosts Al-Qadsia, Al-Wasl of the UAE, India’s ONGC and Harbour Center of the Philippines.
Group A include Qatari champions Al-Rayyan, Zain of Jordan, Sporting Al-Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon, Kazakhstan's BK Almaty Alma-Ata (KAZ) and Satria Muda Britama Jakarta of Indonesia.
The ten strong teams, representing 10 countries from across the continent, are taking part in this prestigious competition to be hosted for the second time by Al-Qadsia Club. The event concludes on May 16