Basketball Club Astana kicks off its 2025/26 National League campaign this weekend in Atyrau, where the team will face Barsy Atyrau in its first official games of the season.
The matches are scheduled for 18 and 19 October at 5:00 pm at Airom Arena. While Astana will be stepping onto the court for the first time this season, Barsy have already started strongly with two wins over Caspiy.
The teams last met just weeks ago at the 2025 Kazakhstan Cup in Atyrau, where Astana claimed a confident victory — 88:60. Since the 2014/15 season, the teams have played 71 games, with Astana winning 60 of them.
So far this season, Astana hasn’t settled on a clear on-court leader, but Askar Maidyekin, the MVP of the 2025 Kazakhstan Cup, looks poised to take on that role. At the Abu Dhabi International Tournament, Adas Juškevičius, E.J. Day, and Robert Pan showed consistency, while Ruslan Aitkali and Maidyekin strengthened their leadership within the team.
For Barsy Atyrau, Michael Mays has been the standout performer so far, averaging 29.5 points and 5.5 assists, with Yeset Zharkylov dominating the boards at 11 rebounds per game.
Ruslan Aitkali, power forward for Astana, shared his thoughts ahead of the opener:
“Barsy Atyrau are a team that fights until the final buzzer, no matter the score. They play tough and battle for every ball, every inch of the court.
We’ve had solid preparation — between the Kazakhstan Cup and the Abu Dhabi tournament, we’ve built rapport and rhythm. Many of us have played together before, so the adjustment period was quick. The team’s in good spirits — we’ve been waiting for this moment for three months and we’re ready to fight.”
Both games against Barsy Atyrau will be broadcast live on the official club website.
