Sports Desk

A rain-shortened match between Rangpur Riders and Lahore Qalandars saw the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) side make the final of the Global Super League (GSL) after they won by 23 runs on DLS.

Riders will take on Cricket Victoria take on to determine the winner of inaugural edition of GSL.

It was learnt that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) asked Rangpur Riders to release the three players- Afif Hossain, Soumya Sarkar and Rishad Hossain- for the West Indies tour. Initially, the board allowed the local players to play till the end of group stage.

BCB asked the three cricketers to join the team tomorrow where as the Riders will be playing the final in the evening.

Rider’s official asked the board that they would send the cricketers day after tomorrow as the three-match ODI series opener is scheduled on 8 December.

According to the tournament by-laws each team will have to field seven local cricketers from their respective country and in that case Rangpur will face difficulty to field their playing XI.

“If they remain steadfast in their decision, Rangpur will have to forfeit the final match without even stepping onto the field. 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. Therefore, such an unfortunate event would be deeply disappointing for cricket enthusiasts as well,” a Rangpur Riders statement read.