GAW vs RAR Review । Guyana Amazon Warriors beat Rangpur Riders by 32 runs to win maiden GSL title
Guyana Amazon Warriors outplayed the reigning champions, Rangpur Riders, in the 2025 final to clinch their maiden Global Super League title. The decisive knocks played by Johnson Charles (67 off 48) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (66 off 38) helped GAW post 196/4.
The Warriors’ skipper, Imran Tahir, won the toss and decided to bat first but the openers only managed a sedate stand of 21 before Evin Lewis succumbed to Khaled Ahmed in the fourth over. The Rangpur Riders were staring at a successful powerplay when Johnson Charles turned the tide with four consecutive boundaries to see off the fielding restrictions, taking the score to 50/1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the other end proved equally destructive company as the two refused to look back thereafter, racking up back-to-back 14 run overs at the innings midpoint as Charles brought up a 34-ball half-century. Gurbaz replicated the mark a couple overs later, his fifty even quicker at 30 balls, and the partnership was thriving at 121 off just 69 deliveries when the Windies opener had to retire hurt. His Afghan partner fittingly departed four deliveries later before Iftikhar Ahmed had Shimron Hetmyer stumped for a golden duck as hopes suddenly brewed of restricting the Warriors. However, Romario Shepherd struck three maximums in a nine-ball unbeaten cameo of 28 while Sherfane Rutherford contributed 19 off 15 at the other end to help set a daunting target of 197 for the Riders.
The chase began ominously when Ibrahim Zadran was tragically run-out after facing just four deliveries before Dwaine Pretorius scalped his opening partner Soumya Sarkar in the penultimate over of the powerplay for a less than run-a-ball 13. An over later, Moeen Ali sounded Kyle Mayers the death rattle to leave the Bangladeshi outfit stuttering at 32/3 with the fielding restrictions done. Nevertheless, Saif Hassan attempted to mount a comeback by smashing rival skipper Tahir for a boundary and a maximum in the eighth over, then repeating the antics in the South African's following effort. The carnage inspired Iftikhar Ahmed to do some damage of his own as he struck Romario Shepherd for two sixes in three balls in the 12th over and suddenly the partnership read a threatening 73 in just 44 deliveries. Yet, the Riders acrimoniously threw away the game when Saif was run-out on 41 off 26 after a miscommunication with Iftikhar, triggering a fatal collapse from 102/3 to 126/8 in the space of fur overs. Mahidul Islam played a consolatory cameo of 30 from 17 deliveries at the death but two wickets from Gudakesh Motie sealed the proceedings on the penultimate ball, as Guyana stormed to the title with a dominant 32-run victory.
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