In the Super Over victory, Ecclestone's all-around heroics stun RCB and Chinnaswamy.
After RCB failed to score the nine runs it needed in the Super Over, UP Warriorz stunned a crowd of more than 28,000 with a thrilling finish to an extraordinary night of drama. In a game that appeared to be going in RCB's favor until the final two overs of regulation time, Sophie Ecclestone's incredible hitting against Renuka Singh in the final over, which went for 17, forced a Super Over. However, the night's highlight was Warriorz's sensational final victory over Ecclestone, which denied Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh and revived their campaign. End with high octane With two wickets remaining, 42 runs were required out of 18. Ecclestone had pottered to 3 off eight balls, and had no option but to go for broke, especially with Chinelle Henry, seemingly the last hope for Warriorz, gone.
In a 13-run over, Ecclestone muscled two sixes into Georgia Wareham to get into her. But when Saima Thakor was run out a ball after swinging one out of the ground in the 19th over, it was all on Ecclestone to knock off much of the 18 runs they needed off the last six.
Renuka was taken to task as she repeatedly missed her lengths as she reached 17 in an extraordinary sequence of 6, 6, 4, 1. However, rookie Kranti Goud went on strike after Ecclestone's single off the fifth ball left Warriorz needing one off the final ball. Richa Ghosh did an MS Dhoni by sprinting to the stumps to knock the bails off rather than risking an underarm throw when Goud missed and the batters ran. And just like that, the WPL had its first Super Over.
Ecclestone's night of dreams continues. When Kim Garth bowled Henry, who hit an incredible eight sixes in her 23-ball 62 against the Delhi Capitals, with a slower delivery and Warriorz needed 47 off 22 balls, she probably wouldn't have thought that she would have to bowl the Super Over. But when she did, she conceded just 8 points while dismissing Henry once more. She never would have expected to lose the game. But five minutes later, she was in agony as she watched as Mandhana and Ghosh failed to find their hitting range against Ecclestone's nerveless bowling. It was a performance straight out of fantasy for the world's No. 1 T20I and ODI bowler, who had also quite extraordinarily just conceded six runs off the final over in RCB's innings. Three of those deliveries were pinpoint yorkers that denied Ellyse Perry a final charge towards what would have been an extraordinary century.
Perry, Wyatt-Hodge set RCB up
For the 11th time in the WPL, Perry overcame Mandhana's early loss to offspin by welcoming Ecclestone with back-to-back fours, with her step-out to bisect cover and mid-off being the standout. When Perry launched Thakor to the ground, her intent-laden approach scored her a first six. RCB had a base at 42 for 1 at the conclusion of the powerplay. All through her innings, Perry was bubbling with flair. In each of the first three WPLs, she became the first player to score 200 runs. She also overtook Meg Lanning to become the highest run-getter in the tournament's short history, during the course of a 94-run second-wicket stand with Danni Wyatt-Hodge.
The five-over period between seven and 11 brought RCB just 33, but the pair was able to flick the switch. Goud, who hustled Wyatt-Hodge with an excellent bumper early on, was picked away for three back-to-back fours in the 13th.
In doing so, Wyatt-Hodge exhibited her range of shots - a cut when offered width, a swat back past the bowler when it was dug in short, and a pummel over extra cover when the bowler went full. Wyatt-Hodge brought up her maiden WPL half-century off 36 balls against the side that had traded her out. However, her dismissal resulted in Warriorz taking Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja's wickets as well.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 180 for 6 (Perry 90*, Wyatt-Hodge 57) tied with UP Warriorz 180 (Ecclestone 33, Sehrawat 31, Rana 3-27, Renuka 2-38, Garth 2-40)