While every cricket fan may have thought they had witnessed enough drama in the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL), the evening of February 24 took us on yet another rollercoaster ride. The Deepti Sharma-led side blazed past defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in grand fashion to record back-to-back wins. Notably, the match featured the first-ever super over in the tournament’s history, where Warriors’ Sophie Eccleston showcased exemplary skill with the ball, making the six-ball decider a completely one-sided affair.
Sneh Rana made her debut for the Challengers and starred with the ball with figures of 3/27. The bowling all-rounder answered the questions of the press.
“Whenever given an opportunity, I deliver my best. I try to deliver my best. I backed my strength and kept my nerves calm as I was making my debut for RCB.”
Rana said that initially, the ball was keeping low, and the dismissal of Smriti Mandhana off Deepti Sharma saw the ball skidding a bit. It was a bit difficult for the batters to adjust in the beginning, but the wicket got easier as the match progressed.
“It was the call of the management (laughs) to pick me up in the eleven, but I am happy to make my debut for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.”
Rana, primarily a spinner, has been a part of the Gujarat Giants and has played 12 matches. The 30-year-old has claimed 6 wickets in 11 innings so far and came in as an injury replacement for Shreyanka Patil. In international outings, Rana has taken 24 wickets in 25 matches, with best bowling figures of 3/9, while maintaining an impressive economy of 6.21.
Batting first in the super over, Chinelle Henry and Grace Harris failed to score big as things were kept tight by bowler Kim Garth. Expressing her disappointment, Rana said “It is obviously disappointing to end on the losing side in a thriller game, but we have had our positives from the game. The match went into the super over and just conceding a handful of runs is a big plus. There are new superstars coming from the team.”
The Challengers sent skipper Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh ahead of Ellyse Perry, who was the standout performer of the day. “Smriti has always been one of our highest run-getters and Richa has been a standout performer at any position in the batting lineup. It is eventually the call of the management, and I may not comment well on it,” added Rana.
Rana said that she stepped aside a bit during the discussion of the Super Over, laughing as she mentioned that the senior players and the management were involved in the discussion. She added that since they were fielding, they wanted to carry the same momentum forward.
The match was in the favour of the hosts before Renuka Singh Thakur conceded 17 runs in the last over to take the match to the decider. “Renuka Thakur is one of the first bowlers across the globe and the team’s plan was to back the best bowler to bowl the super over. She has always delivered her best. I can’t blame her because it’s T20 cricket, full of ups and downs. In this setup, they are the bowlers who pick five wickets.”
“It was unexpected, and I would like to thank the RCB management who instilled their faith in me. I will always bring a positive attitude on the field. Instead of dwelling on the past, one should focus on the next possible steps and all I am thinking about is what I can do for the betterment of my team.”
Batter Shweta Sehrawat from the winning team acknowledged the questions of the press.
All smiles Sehrawat was proud of the efforts of the team where they emerged victorious in the super over. “We trusted and backed our decisions in the super over, and the players delivered the performances.”
“We were a bit nervous in the dressing room as the game had gone down the wire. But Sophie Ecclestone is one of the premier all-rounders for a reason and she played brilliantly well.”
The batter has similar views as her counterpart regarding the conditions of the deck in the tiny Chinnaswamy stadium, “The pitch in Bengaluru gets better to bat as the game progresses, as the seam movement is a bit tough to tackle in the initial overs.”
“The communication task becomes a bit challenging in the Chinnaswamy stadium due to the buzz in the crows, but we ignored it and gave our best,” said the middle order batter.
Loves all things female cricket
