Rangpur overcome late scare to secure spot in the final

After beating Hobart Hurricanes by one run, the Global Super League defending champions Rangpur Riders overcame a late scare to register another narrow victory, this time to seal a spot in the final. The loss officially knocked Dubai Capitals out of the competition.

Capitals needed 28 in the last two overs with two wickets in hand, but Qais Ahmad - aided by sloppy fielding - brought the equation to 9 off 8 with two sixes and a four. However, the innings ended with four balls to spare. Ibrahim Zadran calmly caught Qais on the long-on boundary and Khaled Ahmed dismissed Dominic Drakes.

Chasing 159 on a slow pitch, Capitals were in early trouble as Kadeem Alleyne was bowled by a nip-backer from Kyle Mayers and Gulbadin Naib chopped on to Iftikhar Ahmed, who had an excellent all-round game. Niroshan Dickwella, after surviving two drops and an edge that fell safe, was out caught behind off Saif Hassan, the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 20.

Capitals were reeling at 28 for 3 despite Sediqullah Atal hitting four boundaries in his first 15 balls. Sanjay Krishnamurthi joined Atal to stitch the biggest partnership of the innings, 48 runs for the fourth wicket.

A slide followed as Rakibul Hasan had Krishnamurthi caught at cover in a soft dismissal. Saif Hassan struck twice in the 13th, first having Shakib Al Hasan stumped and then beating Atal's reverse sweep to have him lbw.

Drakes and Jesse Bootan picked up boundaries but a mix-up between them had the latter run out in the 16th over. At 115 for 7, the match seemed effectively done.

Earlier in the day, Drakes found swing to beat Ibrahim's straight drive and trap him lbw. Kaleem Sana was hit for three sixes in the next over with Mayers flat-batting and whipping the ball in style.

Mayers continued to chance his arm and had edges land safely before he fell when spin was introduced, miscuing a flick to mid-on off Mustafa.

Soumya Sarkar and Mahidul Islam Ankon were kept quiet as Rangpur slowed down from 40 for 1 in four overs to 57 for 1 in eight. Mahidul then skied a drive that Qais ran back to catch at mid-on. In the next over, Sarkar hit Shakib for a six and fell two balls later.

Shakib found turn and didn't offer pace in the middle overs. Azmatullah Omarzai fell for a 13-ball 8 with Rangpur on 104 for 5 in the 15th over.

Rangpur scored just 20 runs between overs 14 and 18 before Iftikhar and captain Nurul Hasan got hold of Drakes and Naib. They shared three fours and three sixes to plunder 37 in the last two overs and lift Rangpur to 158.