Defending champions Rangpur Riders opened their Global Super League 2025 campaign with a nail-biting victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors, clinching an 8‑run win at Providence Stadium on July 10. Electing to bat first, the Riders posted a solid 162/5. Opener Soumya Sarkar stabilised the innings with a patient 35 off 36 balls, while Saif Hassan matched a run-a-ball pace before falling to Gudakesh Motie. The fulcrum of their innings arrived from Kyle Mayers, whose brisk 44* from 31 balls—bolstered by three fours and two sixes—provided vital impetus. Late cameos from skipper Nurul Hasan (18 off 10) and Iftikhar Ahmed (34* off 21), who stitched together an unbeaten 76-run partnership with Mayers, propelled the Riders to a competitive total.
In response, the Amazon Warriors made a promising start; Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed early to Omarzai, but Johnson Charles (40 off 28) and Moeen Ali (27 off 18) added 48 to keep the chase alive. However, the middle order failed to build momentum, allowing Rangpur to claw back control.
The crucial twist came from Khaled Ahmed, who earned Player of the Match honors by seizing four wickets for 36 runs in his quota, including key dismissals of Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Dwaine Pretorius, and Shamar Springer during crunch time . Backed by strikes from Azmatullah Omarzai (2/13) and Tabraiz Shamsi (2/24), Khaled’s performance thwarted the Warriors just 9 runs short as they finished at 154 all out in 19.1 overs
With this thrilling victory, Rangpur start their title defence on a high and are set to face the Hobart Hurricanes next, with the match scheduled for July 13 at 8 pm BST (2 pm UTC).
