Underdogs Rangpur clinch inaugural ExxonMobil Guyana GSL title

After spending the first half of the tournament languishing at the bottom of the points table, the Rangpur Riders of Bangladesh rose to the occasion in the second half, not only pulling off a pair of scintillating victories to book a spot in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League (GSL) T20 final but going on to produce another complete performance to clinch the inaugural title on Friday evening.

The Rangpur Riders revelled with the ExxonMobil GSL waterfall-inspired trophy in hand at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara, after defeating Australia’s Cricket Victoria by 56 runs in the tournament’s feature game.

In an entertaining 124 runs spanning 14 overs, the Rangpur Riders managed to produce yet another formidable opening partnership, likely an indication of why the team persisted with their decision to bat first after winning the toss.

In their third consecutive time taking first strike, the decision again worked well for the Riders, who went on to post the highest total of the inaugural GSL T20 tournament thus far.

It rained boundaries in the powerplay, and the duo of Steven Taylor and Soumya Sarkar maintained the momentum even after the field restrictions were rested, so much so that Cricket Victoria chopped and changed their bowlers as they vainly searched for a wicket-taking solution.

The 68 runs that Taylor slammed in 49 balls consisted of 4 fours and 4 sixes, before he fell prey to Karima Gore — who had become Victoria’s 6th bowling option, and who had, earlier in the over, been sent over the ropes for back-to-back maximums.

Gore’s breakthrough earned him a second over, but the result was the same, as Soumya Sarkar took advantage of the situation to hit 18 runs in the over. After Taylor, Saif Hassan came and went quickly, as did Wayne Madsen.

There wasn’t much for Nurul Hasan to do, as he held up one end of the pitch while Sarkar continued to find the boundary. Eventually, the end of the innings caught Sarkar stuck on 86 from 54 deliveries — an unbeaten score that was laced with 7 fours and 5 sixes.

Dominic Drakes was the only bowler who didn’t suffer the ferocity of Rangpur’s opening partnership. He claimed 1-20 from 4 overs.

Cricket Victoria’s openers Blake Macdonald and Joe Clarke showed some intent as they went hard at the required rate, combining forces to produce a 14-run first over. However, the flow of runs was immediately plugged with the introduction of Kamrul Islam in the second, and when he returned in the fourth rotation, he got the breakthrough by having Macdonald caught for 16 from 15 balls.

Clarke pressed on aggressively, but could not find a steady partner, as a series of short stays by Victoria’s middle-order batsmen ensued. Victoria’s woes grew with a wicket falling in each over from the 8th until the 12th.

Just when Max Birthisel and Karima Gore had managed to endure a full over without any mishaps, Birthisel fell for 4 runs in the 14th and the trend resumed. Clarke was the most outstanding of the Victoria batters in hitting 40 off 22 balls; but, in the end, it was not enough to come close to Rangpur’s dominance.

Led by Harmeet Singh’s 3-19 from 4, Rangpur routed their opponents for 122 in 18.1 overs. The likes of Mahedi Hassan, Saif Hassan and Rishad Hossain offered good support, with each taking 2 wickets.