MI Women vs UPW Women, 15th Match at Navi Mumbai, WPL, Mar 18 2023 - Match Result

7:19pm Right. That will be that from us tonight. The action in the WPL, though, does not stop. The Gujarat Giants will be taking on the Royal Challengers Bangalore in about ten minutes. Do join us for that game as well. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Binoy George, Ranjith and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye and take care!

Deepti Sharma, Player of the Match: I knew that Sophie was with me and that we could hit boundaries. We were confident that we would take it to the end and finish the game. The pitch was slightly better than in the first innings. It was skidding a little bit more. The early few overs were difficult. We executed our plans well with the bat. The bowling unit did very nicely and Harris also played a crucial role to get us back in the game. (On preparation for the game) We were just talking about how to concentrate on the positives and to play as a unit. I wanted to take the team past the finish line to ensure that we remain in the top three.

Alyssa Healy, UP Warriorz captain: It got close in the end but full credit to our girls for hanging in there and for getting the job done. It was an important win for us to just get some momentum. You got to find a way to win some times and find momentum. From that perspective, super happy. Hopefully we can take that confidence into the game on Monday. I don't know how much it was. It did do a little bit early but it got easier to bat as it got drier. It was not as important as people might make it out to be. Really proud of our spinners. For Parshavi to come in and bowl four overs, it was outstanding. If the wickets keep deteriorating, I am really liking the chances of our spinners' group.

6:52pm Wow, what a low-scoring thriller that turned out to be. It ebbed, flowed and in the end, the Warriorz did just enough to hold their nerve and get past the finish line. Credit must go to Harris and McGrath for the way they batted in the middle overs and broke the back of the run-chase. At the end, Deepti and Ecclestone found the fence just when their side needed them to.

Take nothing away from MI, though. They did not put up a massive total on the board but fought throughout. But, just like it felt at the half-way stage, they were perhaps 10-15 runs short. Had they had that luxury, they might well have outlasted the Warriors.

But apart from the what-ifs, this result could have massive ramifications on the play-offs race. The Warriors are now in pole position to qualify. If RCB lose later in the day, they will definitely be eliminated. A loss for the Gujarat Giants will make things very precarious for them too, considering their NRR, as things stand, is the worst in the WPL.

Five off four now, and the pressure is firmly on Ecclestone. Can she get a boundary away, or get Deepti back on strike?

Right. Five needed off the final over. MI would ideally want a wicket on either the first or the second ball of the over. Wong to bowl the final over, and she has Ecclestone in her sights. Where is this game headed?

Ecclestone is hitting to the shorter leg-side boundary in this over

Nithish: "Best chance for Deepti to hit those winning runs and regain confidence with bat"

Matthews to bowl the penultimate over. How will the Warriorz approach this? Get ahead of the game in this over, or bide their time until the final over comes along?

13 off 13 now

Required run-rate under a run-a-ball again

Three dots in a row now. Is Ecclestone feeling the pinch?

Back to run-a-ball now