🏏WPL 2025: Match 15 - GG W vs UP Warriorz W at Lucknow, 03/03/25🏏 - Page 109

UPW won the Super Over by 4 runs

Smriti Mandhana | RCB captain: It was disappointing, we did a lot of things right in the batting innings and bowling innings. These things happen in cricket, we will take it and come back stronger. I have been positive in this tournament. Will work on a few things and come back stronger. Went into a shell today. It's always good to have an all-rounder like her, she (Perry) is one of the greatest in Women's cricket. Her bowling is very crucial for us. All the bowlers bowled extremely well, such things happen in cricket. We take a lot of pride in it, we will take it in our stride and move forward.

Jon Lewis | UP Warriorz coach: It was a fun game to watch, was a great day to watch such a game. Sophie can strike the ball really well. I don't think they bowled particularly well to her. The way she executed her bowling, shows her class. She is an extremely valuable player for us, performs week in and week out. We need to keep going. Can't keep calm, that's the way we are going to play. Need to pick up a couple of more games. I think we are backing our Indian players, they need to perform under pressure. I want the middle-order to get a few more runs, they need to rotate the strike better, that will help us to be consistent.

-> 33 runs by Sophie Ecclestone is the most by a batter batting at No.9 or lower in the WPL.

-> 17 runs scored by UPW in 20th over is the second most runs scored to successfully win/tied a WPL game after 19 runs target scored with one ball to spare by UPW against GG at DY Patil in 2023.

First win for UPW against RCB after losing three consecutive WPL games. Though UPW won the first H2H clash.

Deepti Sharma | UP Warriorz captain: I am trying to control my nerves, especially in such games. What a game of cricket it was. This was possible because of Sophie's batting. We played positive cricket as a batting unit. Haven't had the time to have a word with her. Just tried to back Sophie and she showed her character today. She is a world-class bowler. We aren't playing according to the venue. We want to play our best cricket as a unit. We will celebrate soon, after going back to the hotel.

Sophie Ecclestone | Player of the Match: It was an amazing game. I never get nervous to bowl, that was the first time I was nervous (while bowling the super over.) It was a massive team effort, so well done to us. I was quite fuming at that time. It was quite hard, I just had to run. Happy to get the smile on our face. Hopefully we get three from three here. Everyone was great, it was a great team effort.

An hour and a bit of absolutely breathless cricket, and it all came down to the final ball. Protagonist versus Protagonist. Ecclestone versus Mandhana. The top-ranked T20I bowler in the world, against who many might testify to as the best batter in the women's game. And it was Ecclestone's evening. It had begun becoming Ecclestone's evening a while back, to be fair to her, and the way she carted the ball to all parts in the 20th over of UPW's batting innings was a sight to behold, even if Renuka might not want to watch it again.

Prior to that, the Warriorz rode on a healthy run-rate throughout and cameos from top to bottom. None of them, though, carried on, which partly explains how they found themselves in a huge hole at the start of the last over. But having got past the finish line again, under extraordinary circumstances, they will start to feel this could be their year, considering they have not been at their absolute best, but have still fought to two amazing wins.