AI Simulation, GAW vs RR | Guyana Amazon Warriors start campaign in style with 22-run win against Rangpur Riders

Pitch and Weather

It was a bit of tacky surface in the initial phase of the game but slowed down in the further half of the game as it progressed to the second half under the lights. The chasing side also found it difficult to cross the line at this deck.

The weather at the Providence Stadium in Guyana was hot and humid throughout the game, with a slight breeze and no interruption of rain in the entire 40-over play.

Toss

Rangpur Riders skipper Nurul Hasan won the toss and asked Guyana Amazon Warriors to bat first. But this decision backfired on the reigning champions as they failed to win the game, falling short of the target in second innings.

Lineups

GAW XI: Johnson Charles, Moeen Ali, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Dwaine Pretorius, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Imran Tahir (C), Akeal Hosein, Shamar Springer, Mark Adair.

RR XI: Mohammad Naim, Ibrahim Zadran, Khawaja Nafay, Nurul Hasan (C&WK), Iftikhar Ahmed, Kyle Mayers, Soumya Sarkar, Abu Hider, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kamrul Islam, Akif Javed.

Match Report

The defending champions, Rangpur Riders, took on the Caribbean franchise, Guyana Amazon Warriors, in the second match of the ongoing Global Super League 2025 (GSL 2025). Guyana’s Providence Stadium hosted this game, and the Riders’ skipper, Nurul Hasan, won the toss before asking the Warriors to bat first. However, this decision didn’t go in the favour of the holders as they failed to survive against Guyana’s bowling attack in the second innings.

Batting first, Guyana Amazon Warriors posted a decent total of 183/6 in the allotted 20 overs, courtesy of some quick, fiery knocks played by their batters. The star wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 41 runs off just 24 balls, with four fours and two sixes, alongside Shimron Hetmyer’s 39 runs off 29 balls, with three fours and two sixes. Besides these two, opener Johnson Charles also provided a good start with an individual knock of 32 runs off just 20 balls, with four fours and two sixes. For Rangpur Riders, Tabraiz Shamsi scalped 2 wickets at 28 runs in his four overs, alongside a wicket each bagged by Kamrul Islam and Abu Hider.

While chasing the target, the Rangpur Riders’ batting attack looked clueless against Guyana’s bowling attack, led by skipper Imran Tahir. It was only the middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed who showed a bit of resilience for the Riders during the run chase, scoring 41 runs off just 27 balls, with three fours and two sixes, alongside 24 and 26 runs contributed by Ibrahim Zadran and skipper Nurul Hasan. Eventually, Rangpur Riders were restricted to a total of 161/9 in the entire 20 overs and lost the game by 22 runs. GAW skipper Imran Tahir claimed 3 wickets at just 24 runs in his four overs, alongside 2 wickets each picked by Mark Adair and Akeal Hosein. Tahir's double-wicket over in the 13th over of the second innings played a pivotal role in turning the game in the favour of the Warriors.

Player of the Match

Guyana Amazon Warriors’ skipper and the veteran spinner Imran Tahir won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his outstanding and match-winning performance of 3 wickets at just 24 runs in his four-over quota. 

Scorecard