Sophie Ecclestone produced a superb all-round show to hand UP Warriorz a sensational win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first-ever Super Over of the Women’s Premier League on Monday. Sent into bat, Ellyse Perry and Danni Wyatt-Hodge sparkled with the bat to guide RCB 180 for six. Perry smashed an unbeaten 90 off 56 balls while opener Wyatt-Hodge made 57. But Ecclestone, who registered economical figures of 4-0-29-0, showed her prowess with the bat, scoring 33 off 19 balls to help UP Warriorz made a remarkable comeback to tie the match and take it to the Super Over, where they came out on top. UP Warriorz managed just eight runs in the super over bowled by Kim Garth.
The onus was then on RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh to chase down the target of nine runs against Ecclestone but the English cricketer came out on top, conceding just four runs.
Earlier, RCB lost Mandhana early, bowled by Deepti Sharma in the fourth over.
Perry joined hands with Wyatt-Hodge and the duo shared 94 runs in 65 balls for the second wicket to take RCB forward.
Richa Ghosh (8), Kanika Ahuja (5) and Georgia Wareham (8) all failed to contribute, but Perry held the fort for RCB.
Tahlia McGrath (1/30), Chinelle Henry (1/34) and Deepti (1/42) picked up a wicket each for UP Warriorz.
Chasing the total, UP Warriorz never got the momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Openers Kiran Navgire (24) and Dinesh Vrinda (14) started on a promising note, sharing 30 runs in 2.5 overs before both departed in quick succession.
Navgire was the first to depart, bowled by Renuka Singh. Renuka came back an over later to dismiss Vrinda, who was caught at mid-off by Mandhana as she tried to hit a fullish delivery over the circle.
Off-spinner Sneh Rana picked up two wickets — that of Tahila McGrath and UP Warriorz skipper Depti Sharma (25 off 13) — in consecutive overs to derail the chase.
While McGrath was stumped by Richa Ghosh, Deepti was brilliantly caught by Ghosh behind the stumps after RCB went for a review.
Shewata Sehrawat tried her best to keep UP Warriorz in the hunt with a fine 25-ball 31, which had four boundaries but was dismissed by Perry, caught by Ghosh as the batter tried to fish a wide leg stump delivery.
Rana was the pick of the bowlers for RCB with figures of 3/27, while Renuka Singh (2/36) and Kim Garth (2/40) picked up two wickets apiece.
After her exploits with the bat, Perry contributed with the ball too.
Needing 18 off the last over, Ecclestone hit Renuka for two consecutive sixes and a boundary to bring down the equation to 2 off 2.
Ecclestone then took a single and left it on young Kranti Goud to finish off the chase. But Ghosh ran out Ecclestone as UP Warriorz finished at 180 all out to take the match to the Super Over for the first time in WPL.
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