Richa Ghosh’s Dhoni-esque run-out forces WPL’s first Super Over, but UP prevails

Sent into bat, Ellyse Perry and Danni Wyatt-Hodge sparkled with the bat to guide RCB 180 for six

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 2025 (WPL 2025) 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.

#UPW clinch a historic #TATAWPL game! 👏

They win the first-ever Super Over to make it 🔙 to 🔙 victories! 🥳

Scorecard ▶ https://t.co/6637diSP2I#RCBvUPW pic.twitter.com/nNqg42oQqq

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 24, 2025

For her heroics 👇

With bat and ball ✅
In the field ✅
In the final over ✅
In the Super Over ✅

Sophie Ecclestone is the Player of the Match in #RCBvUPW 🙌👌#TATAWPL | @UPWarriorz | @Sophecc19 pic.twitter.com/va8bx5csBT

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 24, 2025

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.

The duo struggled against disciplined UP bowling and managed to scrape together just four runs, handing UP a comprehensive victory.

RCB, notorious for their history of setting unwanted records, added another to the list. Despite having a manageable target to chase, they faltered under pressure, becoming the first team to take a WPL game into a Super Over and still lose despite a relatively easy run chase.

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.

How did WPL's first-ever Super Over unfold?

With 18 runs needed off the final over, Ecclestone (33 off 19) displayed remarkable composure under pressure, launching back-to-back sixes off Renuka Singh, followed by a blistering boundary, bringing the equation down to just 2 runs from 2 balls.

Taking a single on the penultimate delivery, she then left Kranti Goud with the task of sealing the chase.

Richa Ghosh recreated Dhoni epic run out. #WPL2025 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/Lj5PArhFwa

— Adarsh Raj Verma (@Adarsh180745) February 24, 2025

However, in a moment of sheer brilliance behind the stumps, Ghosh orchestrated Ecclestone’s run-out, an uncanny parallel to MS Dhoni’s iconic dismissal of Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman in the final ball of the 2016 T20 World Cup at the same venue.

While Dhoni’s heroics had secured a famous victory for India, Ghosh’s effort, though spectacular, could only push the game into a Super Over, the first-ever in WPL history.

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