Soumya stars as Rangpur Riders win inaugural title

A blazing innings from Soumya Sarkar has seen the Rangpur Riders ease to victory by 56 runs against Victoria in the final of the Global Super League at Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana, reports bdnews24.com.

Soumya thumped out an undefeated 86 off 54 deliveries - with seven boundaries and five sixes - to take Rangpur to 178-3 in the T20 showdown on Friday. He received able assistance from his opening partner Steven Taylor, who scored 68 off 49 deliveries - with four boundaries and four sixes.

Despite some resistance from opener Joe Clarke (40), Victoria saw wickets fall consistently throughout the innings to Harmeet Singh (3-19), Rishad Hossain (2-26), Saif Hassan (2-21), and Mahedi Hasan (2-20).

For his contribution, Soumya was named both the Player of the Match and the Player of the Series.

There had been some concern that Soumya, Rishad and Afif Hossain would not be able to take part in the final as Bangladesh's ODI squad is set to face the West Indies on Dec 8.

As the tournament's rules require that a team field up to five overseas players and a minimum of six local players, there was some concern that Rangpur would have to forfeit the final if three Bangladeshi players were left off the squad.

"If they remain steadfast in their decision, Rangpur will have to forfeit the final match without even stepping onto the field," a Rangpur Riders statement said. "Such an incident would undoubtedly tarnish Bangladesh cricket's reputation on the global stage, as it is extremely rare for a team to miss a final due to a player shortage.

"Moreover, in the GSL, Rangpur is not just representing themselves but the entire nation of Bangladesh.