The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) could not have scripted a more dramatic start to their WPL 2026 campaign. On a night that had everything, including collapses, counterattacks, dropped chances and one outrageous final over, it was Nadine de Klerk who walked off with the match, dragging RCB to a three-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium.
A couple of months ago, de Klerk sat on this very outfield in tears as Harmanpreet Kaur’s India celebrated their Women’s ODI World Cup triumph, South Africa’s dream having ended with her wicket. The MI captain took her catch to script history. Friday night flipped the story completely. Same ground. Same opposition captain. Very different ending in a completely different tournament.
Nadine de Klerk stars for RCB
Put in to bat, Mumbai looked set for a modest total after RCB’s new-ball attack, led by debutant Lauren Bell and de Klerk herself, strangled the top order. Bell’s 18 dot balls up front and de Klerk’s eventual 4 for 26 left MI wobbling at 80/4. Then came the rescue act. Sajeevan Sajana’s brutal 45 off 25 and Nicola Carey’s calm 40 stitched together a record fifth-wicket stand of 82, lifting MI to 154/6.
RCB’s chase had its chaos. A promising powerplay turned into a collapse of 5 for 25. At 121/7 with three overs left, the match was drifting towards Mumbai. Amelia Kerr was almost unplayable but RCB had their trump card with them. That’s when de Klerk decided enough was enough. Dropped twice. Nearly run out. Still standing.
With 18 needed from the last over, she tore into Nat Sciver-Brunt: 6, 4, 6, 4. Game over. She finished on 63 not out from 44 balls, having already done the damage with the ball. RCB captain was quick to laud de Klerk after the match.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Smriti said, “Yeah, I think for the first match of the WPL, it was a thriller. And RCB are known for playing thrillers. Last year, we were on the receiving end of these matches, so I’m happy that we pulled it off. Brilliant from Nadine to finish the match like that. Everyone was pretty positive. We were having a laugh. Even when things were not going well, everyone stayed positive. I think everything is easier to say now because we won, but otherwise as well, the preparations have been really nice. Everyone’s looking really, really good. Nadine (de Klerk) did all the work for us in both the bowling and batting departments.“
‘She did all work for us’: Smriti Mandhana hails Nadine de Klerk after she led RCB beat MI in WPL opener Inside Sport India.
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