GSL 2025 Preview | Hobart Hurricanes eye top of table as they take on title holders Rangpur Riders

Today at 4:57 PM

BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes are set to take on GSL defending champions Rangpur Riders in their second game of the tournament. Both teams have had a great start to the tournament, with convincing wins in their opening games. This will be the first time the teams will be up against each other.

Big Bash League champions Hobart Hurricanes, making their debut in the tournament, will be up against the 2024 GSL and 2017/18 Bangladesh Premier League winners Rangpur Riders in match number five of the tournament, on July 13 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.

The Hurricanes have been in great form so far, having lost only one game in their last five T20 bouts. They thrived in their opening GSL game against ILT20 champions Dubai Capitals, winning the game by seven wickets. Stand-in skipper Ben McDermott was the player of the match in the encounter, leading from the front with a quickfire 48 off just 24 deliveries.

The Riders, on the other hand, have not had a great run in T20s in recent times, having lost four of the last five games they have played. However, they will be pleased to have started their title defence with a close win against the home team, Guyana Amazon Warriors. Khaled Ahmed was the star in their eight-run victory, taking a brilliant four-wicket haul in the match.

Form Guide

HH: W W W L W

RR: W L L L L

HH vs RR Head-to-Head in T20s

Since the Hobart franchise will be making their debut in the tournament, the two sides have not faced each other so far in T20 cricket.

HH 0-0 RR

Pitch and Weather

The Providence Stadium in Guyana has historically been a low-scoring venue. The surface of late too has played on the slower side, with the team batting first ending victorious in three out of the four GSL games that have been played so far. It is thus expected that the team winning the toss would prefer to bat first, since the wicket has been known to get tougher as the game progresses.

The temperature in Guyana is expected to be 25 degrees Celsius, and the conditions cloudy. There is a high chance of rain but the teams will be hoping they get a full game of cricket.

Team News

The two teams have started the tournament well and are expected to play with the same lineup going forward.

HH Probable XI: Ben McDermott (c) (wk), Jake Doran, Macalister Wright, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Nikhil Chaudhary, Mohammad Nabi, Fabien Allen, Odean Smith, Jackson Bird, Billy Stanlake, Usama Mir.

RR Probable XI: Mahidul Islam Ankon, Soumya Sarkar, Yasir Ali, Saif Hassan, Nurul Hasan (c) (wk), Kyle Mayers, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harmeet Singh, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khaled Ahmed.