UP Warriorz bow out on a high as Georgia Voll and Sophie Ecclestone set up win

The Gujarat Giants stunned the table toppers, Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning by five wickets to seal a hat-trick of victories for the first time in their history of the WPL.

The home side UP Warriorz led by skipper Deepti Sharma were up against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final league game for the UP Warriorz as well as the final game in the 3rd phase of the WPL 2025 at the Ekana Stadium, in Lucknow.

24-year-old English all-rounder Charlie Dean makes her WPL debut for RCB

As the Women’s Premier League (WPL) continues to gather steam, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is counting on the talents of young English all-rounder Charlie Dean. Debuting against UP Warriorz in a crucial match for Smriti Mandhana’s squad, Dean came in as a replacement for injured Australian spinner Sophie Molineux ahead of WPL 2025. She replaced her fellow English teammate Danielle Wyatt-Hodge in the starting 11 for RCB. With an impressive record in international cricket, Dean boasts 50 wickets in 39 T20Is at an average of 18.48.

Both sides made a couple changes to their XI, the home side brought Poonam Khemnar and Anjali Sarvani, replacing Gouher Sultana and Vrinda Dinesh. Sabbhineni Meghana and Charlie Dean replaced Danielle Wyatt-Hodge and Ekta Bisht in the starting 11.

Georgia Voll’s 99* sets up a record WPL total of 225 in a run-fest at Ekana

The Warriorz openers Georgia Voll and Grace Harris came out all guns blazing, breaking the record for the best-ever powerplay in the 3rd edition of the WPL, smashing 67 runs in the powerplay at a rate of over 11 runs an over, after the visiting skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and inserted them to bat first in the final game at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow in WPL 2025. An unfortunate disconnect in communication resulted in a run-out that ended Grace Harris’s (39 off 22 balls) stay at the crease to provide the much-needed first breakthrough for the Smriti Mandhana-led side.

Kiran Navgire joined Georgia Voll at the crease and the duo continued to take the attack to the RCB bowlers with another massive 71-run partnership for the 2nd wicket taking the home side closer to the 150-run mark. Georgia Wareham removed Kiran Navgire (46 off 16 balls) to limit the damage by providing the 2nd breakthrough for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 13th over of the innings.

Runs continued to flow from the bat of the 21-year-old youngster from Queensland, Australia, Georgia Voll, eventually equalling the record for the highest individual score alongside RCB’s Sophie Devine. The Warriorz opener, Voll stayed unbeaten on 99* (56 balls), just short of the elusive three-figure mark, and could have been the first centurion in the history of the WPL. The onslaught powered the home side to the record highest-ever team total 225/5 in their quota of 20 overs.

Georgia Wareham (4-0-43-2), and Charlie Dean (4-0-47-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Richa Ghosh and Sneh Rana almost pull off a Herculean effort in a record chase

Chasing a mountainous total of 226, skipper Smriti Mandhana had a new partner walk-out alongside her in Sabbhineni Meghana. Playing her first game in WPL 2025, Meghana wasted no time in getting into her groove and took the attack to the Warriorz bowlers, with her 12-ball 27 runs cameo, providing the ideal start to her side hunting a record chase, to keep themselves alive in the competition.

The opening pair led by S Meghana scored at a rate of around 15 runs an over, before Chinelle Henry broke the stand by getting the big scalp of the opposition skipper Smriti Mandhana in the 3rd over of the run chase. Skipper S Mandhana’s disappointing season with the bat continued to take the downward route. S Meghana was finding the boundaries with ease, throwing the bowlers off their lines and lengths with utter disdain.

Sophie Ecclestone ended Meghana’s stay at the crease in the 4th over of the run chase. Raghvi Bist joined Ellyse Perry at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 33-run stand for the 3rd wicket. Anjali Sarvani, who was also playing her first game of the season, got the priced scalp of Ellyse Perry (28 off 15 balls) in the 7th over of the run chase to provide the 3rd breakthrough for the home side, causing a massive dent in RCB’s hopes of chasing down the total.

Raghvi Bist soon made her way back to the pavilion leaving RCB at 107/5 in 11 overs of the run chase, with half their side back into the pavilion. Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh kept the run chase alive with her fearless hitting, coming out all guns blazing, just as she did against the Gujarat Giants in the first game of the season. A 27-run stand for the 5th wicket with Kanika Ahuja, followed by a massive 64-run stand with Georgia Wareham for the 6th wicket kept the Smriti Mandhana-led side on track for the chase.

RCB were 169/5 at the end of the 16 overs, and the equation of 57 runs off 24 balls looked achievable with Richa Ghosh firing on all cylinders. However, the Warriorz skipper Deepti Sharma potentially provided the knockout punch by sending Richa Ghosh (69 off 33 balls) back to the pavilion in the 17th over of the innings. The Challengers from Bengaluru eventually fell just 12 runs short of the target.

The special occasion of Women’s Day provided a breath-taking contest, a fitting farewell to the Lucknow phase of the season, which saw a spirited effort from Sneh Rana (26 off 6 balls), threatening to pull off a landmark run chase at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-25-3), and skipper Deepti Sharma (4-0-50-3) were the standout bowlers for the UP Warriorz, while Chinelle Henry (4-0-39-2), and Anjali Sarvani (3-0-40-1) played their part with the ball for their side.

Georgia Voll was awarded the Player of the Match for her match-defining innings of 99* off 56 balls. The Warriorz ended their campaign on a high, which also saw an exit of the defending champions from the ongoing 3rd edition of the tournament. We finally have our three finalists in Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, and Mumbai Indians as the Lucknow leg concludes.

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