Rangpur Riders' hopes of back-to-back titles in the Global T20 Super League were dashed as they suffered a 32-run defeat to hosts Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final at Providence Stadium.
After winning the toss, Guyana opted to bat first and posted a formidable total of 196 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. In response, Rangpur Riders were bowled out for 164, falling short despite a mid-innings recovery led by Saif Hassan and Iftikhar Ahmed.
Rangpur’s chase got off to a shaky start. Opener Ibrahim Zadran narrowly avoided a stumping off the second ball but was run out for 5 in the second over. Soumya Sarkar (13) and Kyle Mayers (5) soon followed with soft dismissals, leaving Rangpur in early trouble.
Saif Hassan and Iftikhar Ahmed tried to rebuild the innings, stitching together a 73-run stand. Saif was run out for a brisk 41 off 26 balls, and Iftikhar was trapped lbw by Dwayne Pretorius for 46 from 29 deliveries—both falling just when Rangpur looked poised for a comeback.
Skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan fell cheaply, handing a catch to Imran Tahir, while Mahidul Islam Ankon added some late resistance with 30 off 17 balls. But the chase collapsed in the 19th over as Ankon and Kamrul Islam Rabbi fell to left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, sealing Rangpur’s fate at 164 all out.
Earlier, Guyana got off to a flying start through openers Johnson Charles and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Despite the early loss of Evin Lewis (5) to Khaled Ahmed, the duo built a solid platform. Charles hammered four boundaries in an over off Azmatullah Omarzai and brought up his half-century in 34 balls, while Gurbaz reached the milestone in just 31.
Charles retired hurt after scoring 67, while Gurbaz made 66 before falling to Tabraiz Shamsi. Shimron Hetmyer was stumped for a duck, but late cameos from Romario Shepherd (28* off 9) and Sherfane Rutherford (19 off 15) pushed Guyana to an imposing total.
For Rangpur, Khaled Ahmed, Shamsi, and Iftikhar each claimed a wicket, but the bowling attack failed to contain Guyana’s firepower.
Guyana Amazon Warriors were crowned champions of the second edition of the tournament, denying Rangpur a historic second consecutive title.
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