Sophie Ecclestone led UP Warriorz to a nail-biting four-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League 2025. The Chinnaswamy crowd witnessed it all, two massive sixes in the final over, a last-ball run-out straight out of the MS Dhoni playbook, and the first-ever Super Over in WPL. (Highlights | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
ꦅRCB set a strong total of 180/6 after being put in to bat, with Ellyse Perry anchoring the innings with a stunning unbeaten 90 off 56 balls. In response, UP Warriorz faced an uphill battle, needing 18 off the final over.
⛎Enter Ecclestone. Cool under pressure, she hammered back-to-back sixes off Renuka Singh, followed by a boundary, bringing the equation down to just 2 runs from 2 balls.
𝐆A single off the penultimate delivery left Kranti Goud to finish the job, but high drama unfolded. Richa Ghosh produced a moment of brilliance behind the stumps, running Ecclestone out in a fashion eerily similar to Dhoni’s famous last-ball dismissal of Mustafizur Rahman at the same venue during the 2016 T20 World Cup.
🐈While Dhoni's effort had sealed victory for India, Ghosh’s heroics couldn’t get RCB over the line. Instead, it ensured the first-ever Super Over in WPL history, setting the stage for an electrifying finish.
🤪In the Super Over, UP Warriorz set a modest target of eight runs, leaving RCB with a golden opportunity. But Ecclestone had other plans. Given the task of defending the total, the English spinner delivered a flawless over, conceding just three runs off the first five balls.
🌞With RCB needing a six off the final delivery, the pressure was on Smriti Mandhana. But Ecclestone held her nerve, denying the big shot and sealing a dramatic win for UP Warriorz.
😼One over was all it took for Ecclestone to become the wrecking ball of WPL 2025. As the crowd erupted in chaos, she remained in her own bubble—calm, composed—after delivering a popcorn thriller that left 28,000 fans in stunned silence.
For Ecclestone, this feat is just another chapter in an already stellar career. She became the world's No. 1 T20I bowler at just 20, according to the ICC 🎶rankings, after three years of consistently outstanding performances in the format.
Ecclestone’s cricketing foundation was laid at Alvanley Cricket ඣClub in Helsby, Cheshire, where she honed her skills from a young age. She made her mark playing for Cheshire from 2013 before Lancashire recognized her potential and signed her in 2015.
▨That same year, at just 16, she made her top-level debut against Nottinghamshire in Division 1 of the Women’s County Championship.
Her rise continued in 2016 when she delivered a standout performance for the England Academy during a tri-series in Sri Lanka, competing against Sri Lanka A and Australia’s Shooting 🏅Stars. With 16 wickets to her name, including a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka A, she quickly caught the attention of England’s selectors.
🃏Soon after, new head coach Mark Robinson handed her a national team call-up for the T20I series against Pakistan in July 2016. At just 17, Ecclestone made an assured England debut, finishing with economical figures of 1 for 21 in her four overs.
꧒However, competition for places saw her left out of the national setup for the next 18 months, as Alex Hartley and Laura Marsh were given the nod. Ecclestone, however, remained determined and proved her credentials during England’s 2017-18 Ashes tour in Australia, where she made her Test debut and secured a permanent spot in the squad.
Sophie Ecclestone: Five Unmissable Feats
No. 1 Ranked ODI Bowler
No. 1 Ranked T20 Bowler
🉐Best Bowling Figures in a Match When Ending on the Losing Side.
ꦿSecond Youngest Player to Take 10 Wickets in a Match – (24 years, 47 days) in Women's Test Matches.
⛄2nd Most Wickets Taken LBW – 23 wickets in Women's Twenty20 Internationals.
ဣMithali Raj praised Ecclestone’s remarkable performance: "Many expected a repeat of 'Hurricane Henry,' but today, we witnessed the brilliance of Sophie Ecclestone with the bat when her team needed crucial runs in the final over. She almost took them over the line, but the single on the penultimate delivery shifted the strike to Kranti Goud."
🧸She added, "As a young player, she was under pressure to take that final single. Despite that, UP Warriorz managed to push the game into a Super Over, completely altering the course of the match. A Super Over featuring Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Ellyse Perry is always going to be thrilling, but Sophie Ecclestone delivered an exceptional performance with the ball to turn the game in UP Warriorz’s favor."
⛎Stacy-Ann King hailed Ecclestone’s all-round brilliance, saying, "She proved her versatility tonight—dominating with the ball early on and then stepping up with the bat, smashing crucial fours and sixes in a stunning innings. As the world’s number one bowler, she delivered a phenomenal performance.
♉"Then came the Super Over—what can’t she do? The only thing missing was that final single to seal the match in regulation time. Still, she handled the pressure exceptionally well, guiding the younger players with composure. While we didn’t get to see her bat again, she put on a masterclass with the ball, successfully defending nine runs to seal the win." She added.
