WPL 2026: RCB Outplay MI By Three Wickets In Last-Ball Thriller Thanks To Nadine de Klerk's Heroics

Hyderabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru started their Women’s Premier League (WPL) campaign with a thrilling win over Mumbai Indians by three wickets at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Friday. It was Nadine de Clerk show in the middle as she first shone with the ball taking four wickets and then recovered the team from a difficult position to take them over the finish line. She recovered the team from a difficult position and played a scintillating knock of 63 runs from 44 deliveries to help them register a thrilling victory.

De Klerk's knock guide RCB to three-wicket win

The target of 155 runs was expected to be an easy one for a strong RCB batting unit which boasts the likes of batters like Smriti Mandhana, Grace Harris, Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk. However, MI bowlers reduced RCB to 65/5 in 7.4 overs and they were in trouble. However, Arundhati Reddy (20) and De Klerk formed a 52-run partnership for the sixth wicket to stage a recovery. The South African batter kept fighting and reduced the equation to 29 runs required from two overs.

Luck was on De Clerk's side as she was dropped twice and her run out was missed in the penultimate over. The 25-year-old won the match for her team smashing two boundaries and two sixes in the last four deliveries of the match to take them over the finish line and RCB won the match by three wickets.

RCB post 154/6 as de Klerk takes four wickets

Earlier in the match, RCB elected to bowl first and right-arm seamer Lauren Bell had a dream start on her WPL debut with a maiden over. MI openers Amelia Kerr and G Kamalini struggled initially but the latter got into groove eventually. Kerr (4) and Nat-Sciver Brunt (4) were dismissed from the other end, but Kamalini played a brilliant knock of 32 runs from 28 deliveries. Harmanpreet Kaur amassed 20 runs before being dismissed and MI were reduced to 67/4 from 11 overs.

Nicola Carey (40) and Sajeevan Sajana (45) joined forces afterwards to add 82 runs from 49 balls for the fifth wicket. Carey was dismissed on the penultimate ball of the innings but her partnership with Sajana helped the team post 154/6.

Nadine de Klerk was the pick of the bowlers taking four wickets while Bell and Shreyanka Patil chipped in with one wicket each.

Playing XI

RCB: Smriti Mandhana(c), Grace Harris, Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh(w), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell.

MI: Nat Sciver-Brunt, G Kamalini(w), Amelia Kerr, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajeevan Sajana, Saika Ishaque.