UPW Women vs DC Women, 8th Match at Bengaluru, WPL, Feb 22 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary

That's a solid win from UP Warriorz who become the first team to register a win batting first. A second defeat in four games for Delhi Capitals, who have looked quite scratchy all through. If you missed any of the action, Srinidhi's report has you covered. Thanks for tuning in today. A break tomorrow, but we will be back nice and early on Monday where UPW will take on RCB. Till then, this is me Ashish Pant, signing off on behalf of Hemant Brar and Sudeep. Ciao!

Chinelle Henry is the player of the match for her all-round show: [Plans] My role in the team is clear. I have to finish the game and I have been doing that pretty well. It is just about backing my skills. I just went about going out there and executing it. When I went out, the ball was moving but it was all about backing my strengths. Tonight, it was really great for me. To come here and to pick up from where i left was really amazing. [Dropped catches] We are a good unit, regardless. It happens. It is just about going back and doing it in the training. The next game is against RCB an the crowd is going to be loud. We just have to back each other and do well for the team.

Deepti Sharma, the UPW captain: Very important win. Whenever you win, you feel nice and the mindset is very positive and you get good thoughts. All the batters were coming in with a clear mind. We just wanted to get solid partnerships. Henry was great. We just asked her to back her strengths. [Improvements] We really need to pull up our socks in the fielding. We want to take the momentum forward.

Presentation time

10.57pm Now, that's a first. For the first time in eight games in the WPL this year, a team batting first has won a game. And what a vital win this is for UPW, who finally get on the board in their third attempt. That they got to 177 was all down to Chinelle Henry who smashed 62 off just 23 balls. She also picked a wicket. But, UPW were quite shabby in their defence. They dropped catches aplenty. Shafali was given multiple lives, so was Rodrigues. But Kranti Goud brought UPW back into the game. She picked four wickets, which included Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen. Harris then finished off the innings with a hat-trick, also bagging four wickets for 15 in 2.5 overs. That is such an important win for UPW.

Grace Harris: That was not good bowling to get a hat-trick (laughs). We are just enjoying our time with UP and loving the WPL. We are having a good time. We are not having the success but we won today and I hope we have turned the tide. [Hat-trick] I was joking when I was asked what my plans would be in the bowler's meeting and I said I would do this and that and would get a hat-trick. We have these casual meetings. But they all started laughing when I got it. Now I am going to manifest something with the bat because I am a batting allrounder. [On Henry] I have batted once with her in the trial game and we have spoked about batting in the death. She is a very good striker of the ball, she is a very powerful athlete. She is a happy, bubbly personality. She is very happy around the group. We might be struggling with the bat, but we are cheering everyone. I would love to spend more time to her in the middle. A lot of the trend is win the toss and win the game. The conditions have not been in our favour but we are trying to put in a good show. Hopefully, Henry's knock gives us the confidence going forward.

Meg Lanning: I thought we did a lot right in the first 15 overs [while bowling]. Little bit of nibble and swing. But Chinelle batted brilliantly and we did not have any answers. Would be nice to slow it down a little but we were under a bit of time pressure. She batted extremely well, put us under pressure and we did not have any answers. [Surface] There was a little bit in it for the bowlers. The batters all evening were successful if they stuck in. We have played extremely well in patches, but haven't been as good in other times. Just have to put everything together going forward.

Harris on a hat-trick. Manni in at No. 11. Harris is around the wicket

Arundhati Reddy next in

Harris to bowl the final over. DC Women need 34 runs in 6 balls.

Thanks, Hemant. Can DC pulls a rabbit out of the hat? Here's Ecclestone

Back to Ashish for last rites

47 required from three overs