UPW vs MI | Horrid collapse leaves UPW on brink of elimination as playoff-bound MI cruise easy chase

Asked to bat first, the UP Warriorz got off to a rollicking start with Australians Georgia Voll striking five boundaries in the powerplay and Grace Harris adding three of her own to take the team total to 50/0 after six overs, the first time the team went through the powerplay this season without losing a wicket. Even the spreading of the field did little to halt the Voll juggernaut as she struck three consecutive boundaries off Amelia Kerr to kick off the seventh over but it did heelp bring the wicket of a sluggish Harris as she holed out off Hayley Matthews soon after. Nevertheless, with a soild foundation established, Voll kept motoring on and brought up a maiden WPL fifty off just 29-balls with a boundary against Shabnim Ismail. However, the Aussie and Kiran Navgire lost their wickets in quick succession as the team suddenly succumbed to 90/3, putting a brake on the scoring. Only 15 runs came off the next three overs and the pressure culminated in two scalps for Kerr in the 15th, including a classic six and out for the in-form Chinelle Henry. Shweta Sehrawat added a two-ball duck immediately after and Uma Chetry managed a solitary run in her seven deliveries to further leave the team reeling at 125/7 with just three overs to go. It took three lusty boundaries from Sophie Ecclestone and a calm anchoring 27 from Deepti Sharma to take the team up to 150, even as Kerr completed her fifer on with the latter’s wicket in the final over.

In response, Kerr handled her promotion up top with two boundaries in an unsettling 13-ball cameo of 10 before inevitably falling victim to Henry’s swing bowling in the third over. However, it was all one-way traffic thereafter as Hayley Matthews and Natalie Sciver-Brunt combined spectacularly to put the game well beyond the hosts’ reach with a resounding 92-run stand off just 58 deliveries. Hayley began the onslaught with two boundaries off Kranti Goud in the fourth over, an authoritative maximum against compatriot Henry soon after, and two more fours against Ecclestone to cap the powerplay at 50/1. Natalie showed little hesitation in joining the party and had already struck five fours by the 10-over mark, the equation by then a reading a paltry 60 required at run-a-ball. By the time the Englishwoman departed after consecutive boundaries off Harris for a blistering 23-ball knock of 37, the required rate had further plummeted to five an over, and the former champions only required 24 runs to win when Hayley holed out for 68. Even though Harmanpreet’s wicket in the 17th over threatened to add an unlikely twist to the tale, Amanjot Kaur and Yastika Bhatia held their nerves to get the team across the line with nine balls to spare.

We won by 6 wickets. Not an interesting game but we will take the win 💙. Our qualifications chance is > 95% https://t.co/pMaSYGalaO

— Mumbai Indians Fanatics KA (@MIFanaticsKA) March 6, 2025

How fitting it would be if RCB can officially kick UPW out of the WPL playoffs! Richa hitting six against Ecclestone. One can dream 😇

— River (@a_freespirit) March 6, 2025

Nat Sciver-Brunt’s scores in this season 80 (59) 57 (49) 42 (21) 75* (44) 18 (22) 37 (23) – today 309 runs at 77.25 avg, SR:148.5#WPL2025 #UPWvMI #WPL

— Nisarg Naik (@Nisargg_14) March 6, 2025