Rangpur Riders have won the Global Super League, beating Victoria by 56 runs after much uncertainty over their participation in the final.
Rangpur had eventually reached a resolution to participate in the final after the BCB asked them to release three Bangladesh players from the competition. The final, against Victoria, got underway in Providence, Guyana, on December 6, two days before Bangladesh's first ODI against West Indies in Basseterre, St Kitts, on December 8. Rishad Hossain, Afif Hossain and Soumya Sarkar were the players in question. They had played all of Rangpur's matches in the competition, and were cleared to feature in the final despite also being part of Bangladesh's ODI squad.
Rangpur reached the GSL final after beating Lahore Qalandars in Providence. After that match, Afif, Rishad and Soumya missed the flight that would have taken them from Guyana to join their Bangladesh team-mates in St Kitts.
Afif has an NOC until December 7, so he was eligible to play the GSL final. The NOCs of Soumya and Rishad, however, had expired, and the BCB had denied Rangpur's request to extend them. The franchise was attempting to establish contact with BCB president Faruque Ahmed, who was on his way to New York.
With only hours to go for the GSL final, therefore, uncertainty reigned but the contest got underway as planned. Rangpur racked up 178 for 3, thanks to Soumya's 54-ball 86 and a 49-ball 68 from Steven Taylor. Victoria, in reply, were bowled out for just 122 in 18.1 overs.
The tournament rules state that a team can field up to five overseas players and a minimum of six local players. Rangpur had said that they might have to forfeit the final if the BCB pulls away the three Bangladesh players.
"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. Therefore, such an unfortunate event would be deeply disappointing for cricket enthusiasts as well."
The GSL rescheduled the final a few weeks ago from December 7 to 6 so that it doesn't clash with the Bangladesh-West Indies ODI series. Rangpur were already without Khushdil Shah, whose NOC from PCB has run out. He has played three of Rangpur's four matches. Matthew Forde, meanwhile, didn't turn up for the tournament due to an injury.
This story was updated at 14.40pm GMT after Rangpur won the final