The Women's Premier League 2025 witnessed a historic and brutal assault on Tuesday, as Royal Challengers Bangalore's Sophie Devine unleashed a breathtaking display of power-hitting. The New Zealand all-rounder targeted Delhi Capitals bowler Sneh Rana, plundering a staggering 32 runs in a single over, which is now officially the most expensive over in the history of the WPL.
The Over That Made History
The carnage unfolded during the 15th over of the RCB innings at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Sneh Rana, the experienced Indian off-spinner, was handed the ball with the task of restricting the flow of runs. What followed was a sequence that will be replayed for years to come. Sophie Devine, already well-set, decided to take matters into her own hands. She dispatched the ball to all parts of the ground with astonishing power and precision.
The over's sequence read like a nightmare for the bowler and the Delhi Capitals fielders. Devine hammered two sixes and four fours in that fateful over, completely shifting the momentum of the match. This monumental feat erased the previous record for the most expensive over, which was held by Shreyanka Patil, who had conceded 26 runs.
Devine's Innings and RCB's Commanding Total
Sophie Devine's onslaught was the centerpiece of a magnificent batting performance by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Her explosive knock propelled RCB to a formidable total. Devine played a blistering innings, scoring 99 runs from just 49 balls, a knock studded with 13 boundaries and 5 massive sixes. She narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century but had done immense damage.
Her partnership with other batters laid a solid foundation, but it was that one over against Sneh Rana that broke the backbone of the Delhi Capitals' bowling attack and sent the home crowd into a frenzy. The sheer audacity and clean striking displayed by Devine showcased why she is considered one of the most dangerous hitters in the women's game.
Fallout and Match Context
This record-breaking over had a profound psychological impact on the match. The Delhi Capitals, a strong unit, were left shell-shocked by the ferocity of the assault. While Sneh Rana is a seasoned campaigner, this particular over proved extremely costly in the context of the game. The pressure of the tournament and the relentless attack from a batter in prime form combined to create this piece of unwanted history.
The match, played on March 11, 2025, will now be remembered primarily for this single over of mayhem. It highlights the evolving, aggressive nature of women's T20 cricket where records are meant to be shattered. For RCB, it was a statement of intent, while for Delhi, it was a harsh lesson in the perils of bowling at the death to an in-form power-hitter like Sophie Devine.
This incident also puts the spotlight on the immense pressure bowlers face in fast-paced leagues like the WPL, where a single over can define the outcome of a match and etch a player's name into the record books for contrasting reasons.
