UP Warriorz 225 for five (Voll 99*, Navgire 46, Harris 39, Wareham 2-43) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 213 (Ghosh 69, Perry 28, Meghana 27, Rana 26, Ecclestone 3-25, Deepti 3-50) by 12 runs
UP Warriorz went out of WPL 2025 in essentially the most thrilling method, they usually took defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru together with them. This implies Gujarat Giants will now make their maiden playoffs look, becoming a member of Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. The struggle for the highest spot, although, continues to be huge open.
Ghosh smashed 69 off 33, however her dismissal with RCB needing 55 off 3.4 overs left them on the sting. Then got here one other twist, when Deepti Sharma, who dismissed Ghosh, conceded essentially the most runs in a single over within the WPL’s brief historical past – 28 off the nineteenth – as Rana smacked her for an unimaginable sequence of 4, 6, 6, 4, 6 to carry the goal down to fifteen off seven balls.
Sneh Rana’s six-ball 26 gave RCB a glimmer of hope•BCCI
One of many fours additionally got here off a no-ball, however extra dramatically, previous to delivering that ball, Deepti stopped in need of her supply stride when Kim Garth backed up too far on the non-striker’s finish, however didn’t run her out.
However Rana’s magic ended when she muscled a flat hit straight to Poonam Khemnar, whom RCB had let go forward of the public sale, on the deep midwicket fence. That blow, which left RCB 9 down, was the knockout punch for the defending champions, with Warriorz sealing victory within the closing over after they had Renuka Singh run out.
Fittingly sufficient, Voll, who at one level could have puzzled if her magical knock could have gone in useless, delivered the ultimate over that she started with two dots to all however shut it out earlier than the run-out. It marked an unimaginable finish to Voll’s maiden WPL stint, which had wanted her to chop brief her dwelling renovation in Queensland to make a fast sprint to India solely every week in the past.
Having are available as a substitute for Chamari Athapaththu, Voll confirmed potential to presumably be retention materials, a particular constructive for the Warriorz in a marketing campaign that introduced them simply three wins in eight matches.
Voll, Harris make merry
Voll exhibited her sturdy back-foot sport, a consequence of getting been introduced up on bouncy decks in Queensland. She typically stayed beside the road and opened up unimaginable gaps within the backward level area, however the standout was her show of brute forearm power and a powerful backside hand to play a ferocious whip in entrance of sq..
On the different finish, Harris scooped and paddled her solution to boundaries, fast to pounce on something free – and there have been loads of such deliveries from RCB’s new-ball pair of Garth and Renuka. Warriorz muscled their solution to 67 for 0 in six overs – the very best powerplay rating this season.
Kiran Navgire’s 16-ball 46 got here at a strike price of 287.50•BCCI
Navgire cranks it up
On the different finish, Voll raised her second straight fifty, off 31 balls, when she swung a full-toss to the deep midwicket boundary. The second-wicket pair’s consolation towards spin pressured Smriti Mandhana to show to Renuka once more within the twelfth over, however the transfer proved completely ineffective as Navgire clobbered her for 4, 2, 4, 0, 6, 6. The sixes had been a factor of magnificence for her nonchalance in swatting size balls bowled into the deck over the leg-side fence.
Overs 9-12 introduced Warriorz 64 runs as they set themselves up for over 200. RCB had a clutch of wickets within the again finish after they dismissed Navgire, Chinelle Henry and Sophie Ecclestone, however a tiring Voll charged in the direction of a the match’s first-ever century, solely to be denied off the final ball when a half-attempt at a second run to long-on, which might have introduced up the landmark, led to Deepti being run out.
Richa Ghosh reached fifty off 25 balls•BCCI
RCB go hell or excessive water
This intent value Meghana and Perry their wickets, however not earlier than they’d performed neat cameos. However there was a way that they’d left an excessive amount of for Ghosh to cowl up – which she practically did, exhibiting super vary. She used the depth of the crease to tug, made room to get beside the road to loft imperiously, and was fast to rock again when the bowlers dropped brief to unfurl flat-bat pulls that bisected long-on and deep midwicket.
Her 64-run sixth-wicket stand with Wareham saved RCB alive, earlier than it obtained to some extent the place it was Ghosh or nothing. When she fell, the top was nigh. However Rana wasn’t going to go down with no struggle. In the long run, she practically pulled RCB dwelling, however the fairlytale wasn’t to be.
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
