All-round Iftikhar Ahmed steers Rangpur Riders into GSL 2025 final

GUYANA: Rangpur Riders booked their spot in the Global Super League (GSL) 2025 final after edging past the Dubai Capitals in a nail-biting contest at the Providence Stadium.

Defending champions Riders, who had earlier defeated Hobart Hurricanes by a single run, held their nerve once again to clinch another narrow victory. The result also ended Dubai Capitals’ hopes of qualifying for the final.

Needing 28 runs from the final two overs with only two wickets in hand, the Capitals mounted a late surge through Qais Ahmad, who capitalised on some loose fielding to bring the equation down to nine off eight balls with two sixes and a four.

However, Rangpur tightened their grip just in time. Qais was caught by Ibrahim Zadran at long-on, and Khaled Ahmed dismissed Dominic Drakes soon after, sealing the win with four balls remaining.

Chasing 159 on a sluggish pitch, Dubai were rocked early.

Kadeem Alleyne was cleaned up by a sharp nip-backer from Kyle Mayers, and Gulbadin Naib chopped one onto his stumps off Iftikhar Ahmed, who had a stellar all-round outing.

Niroshan Dickwella, despite surviving two dropped chances and a lucky edge, eventually nicked off to Saif Hassan — the pick of the bowlers with 3/20.

Dubai were struggling at 28-3, though Sediqullah Atal offered some resistance with four boundaries in his first 15 deliveries. He stitched a 48-run partnership with Sanjay Krishnamurthi — the highest of the innings.

But momentum shifted again when Rakibul Hasan removed Krishnamurthi with a soft dismissal at cover. In the 13th over, Saif Hassan struck twice — having Shakib Al Hasan stumped and trapping Atal lbw with a reverse sweep gone wrong.

Though Jesse Bootan and Drakes tried to revive the innings with a few boundaries, a mix-up between them led to Bootan’s run out in the 16th over. At 115 for 7, the game appeared all but over.

Earlier, Rangpur’s innings got off to a shaky start as Drakes found swing early, trapping Ibrahim Zadran lbw.

But Mayers counterattacked in style, smashing three sixes off Kaleem Sana with a mix of flat-batted and whipped strokes. He continued to take risks and survived a few chances before falling to spin, mistiming a flick off Mustafa to mid-on.

Soumya Sarkar and Mahidul Islam Ankon struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking as Rangpur’s scoring rate dipped from 40-1 in four overs to 57-1 in eight.

Mahidul then skied a drive which Qais Ahmad caught running back at mid-on. In the next over, Sarkar hit Shakib for a six before falling two balls later.

Shakib bowled a tight spell in the middle overs, extracting turn and denying pace. Azmatullah Omarzai perished for eight off 13 balls, leaving Rangpur at 104 for 5 in the 15th over.

Rangpur managed only 20 runs between overs 14 and 18, but Iftikhar Ahmed and captain Nurul Hasan provided the late flourish.

They hammered three fours and three sixes off Drakes and Naib in the final two overs to add 37 runs, lifting Rangpur to a competitive total of 158 — a score that eventually proved just enough.