Rangpur Riders defend 117 to stun Guyana in thrilling first win

Rangpur Riders claimed their first win of the tournament with a remarkable 15-run triumph over Guyana Amazon Warriors on 4 December in Providence.

Defending a modest 117 runs, the Riders' bowlers, led by Kamrul Islam Rabbi's four-wicket haul, delivered a stunning performance to end their losing streak in dramatic fashion.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Rangpur struggled against disciplined Guyana bowling. Dwaine Pretorius struck in the opening over, bowling both Steven Taylor and Saif Hasan. Tanzim Hasan Sakib added to the woes, producing a peach of a delivery to clean up Soumya Sarkar.

By the end of the powerplay, Rangpur were reeling at 25-4, and they slumped further to 27-5 when Sheikh Mehidy Hasan was dismissed by Imran Tahir.

Amidst the top-order collapse, Khushdil Shah played a heroic knock. The Pakistani batter anchored the innings with a crucial 58 off 47 balls, featuring two boundaries and four sixes.

Together with skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan, Khushdil stitched a vital 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket to push Rangpur to 117 before being bowled out in the 20th over.

Pretorius was the pick of the Guyana bowlers, taking 3-15, while Tanzim claimed 2-21.

Chasing what seemed to be a modest target, Guyana's innings unravelled almost immediately. Kamrul Islam Rabbi's sensational second over saw three quick wickets.

Pretorius, promoted to open, was trapped lbw for 1, while Moeen Ali edged behind on the next ball. Shimron Hetmyer then fell for a golden duck, bowled by a delivery that jagged in sharply.

Guyana found themselves at 27-5 after further setbacks, including Roston Chase's dismissal for 9 off Harmit Singh's first ball and Hasan Khan's run-out in the same over.

Shai Hope, standing firm amid the chaos, added 36 runs with Gudakesh Motie to offer a glimmer of hope.

However, Motie edged Mehidy Hasan to the keeper, and Kimmo Paul's cameo was cut short by Harmit Singh, who bowled him in a pivotal over.

Hope, Guyana's last recognised batter, fell for 35 off 44 balls, trying to slog-sweep Rishad Hossain, only to edge it to the keeper. With the ninth wicket falling, Rangpur edged closer to an unlikely victory.

Though Romario Shepherd struck a six before the final over, Rabbi dismissed him on the very next ball, sealing an incredible win for Rangpur.

Rabbi finished with outstanding figures of 4-13, while Harmit claimed 3-12. The spinners' controlled bowling complemented Rabbi's heroics, making up for the team's modest batting display.