Astana is heading to Kostanay, where the team will play a two-game series against the local side Tobol as part of the Kazakhstan National League.
The games will take place on 26 and 27 October at 17:00 at the Kostanay Sport Complex. For both teams, this will be their second series of the season. Earlier, Astana opened its campaign with two confident away wins over Barsy Atyrau (61:87, 64:99), while Tobol fell twice to Almaty Legion (95:58, 105:60).
Team leaders
Tobol has faced early-season lineup challenges — key players Shaim Kuanov and Anton Bykov are sidelined with injuries and will miss several weeks. As a result, the team has brought in several young players still adjusting to the National League level. So far, Adilbek Bitenov has emerged as the standout performer, averaging 22 points, 2.5 assists, and 2 steals per game.
For Astana, E.J. Day has confidently taken the lead at the start of the season, averaging 22.5 points, 8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Alexander Zhigulin leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game, while Tobol’s Ramil Urazbayev averages 4.
Head-to-head history
The teams have faced each other 52 times, with Astana winning 45 of those matchups. Their most recent meeting took place in the semi-finals of the 2024/25 National League, where Astana triumphed 84:65 at home, securing a 3–0 series win.
Vadim Shcherbak, small forward for Astana:
“I’m always happy to come to Kostanay — it’s my hometown. We’re following our regular preparation plan, the coach has outlined our strategy, and we’re ready to fight. We know they have some injured players, but that doesn’t change anything for us — we’re here to win.”
 «Samruk-Kazyna» National Welfare Fund |
 Uniform operator «Tourism Industry and Sports Support Fund» |
