WPL: Mandhana hails all-round de Klerk after RCB's win
What's the story
The opening match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 turned out to be a nail-biter, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by three wickets. South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk was the star of the show, taking four wickets and scoring an unbeaten 63 runs off 44 balls. RCB captain Smriti Mandhana praised de Klerk for her outstanding performance in both bowling and batting departments.
Captain's commendation
Mandhana praises de Klerk's all-round performance
After the match, Mandhana said, "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." She added, "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 good."
Redemption arc
De Klerk's journey from heartbreak to triumph
De Klerk's journey has been a tale of redemption. Just months ago, she was left in tears as MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur's India celebrated their significant match victory over South Africa. But on Friday night, the same ground and opposition captain saw a different ending for de Klerk in a completely different tournament. Her all-round performance helped RCB secure an impressive win over the defending champions MI at DY Patil Stadium.
Match details
RCB's chase and de Klerk's heroics
RCB's chase was chaotic, with a promising powerplay turning into a collapse of 5 for 25. At 121/7 with three overs left, the match seemed to be slipping away from RCB. But de Klerk stood firm despite being dropped twice and nearly run out. With 18 runs needed from the last over, she went after Nat Sciver-Brunt: 6,4,6,4. She ended up unbeaten on 63 off 44 balls after having already done damage with the ball earlier in the match.
Match breakdown
MI's innings and RCB's bowling attack
MI, batting first, struggled against RCB's new-ball attack led by debutant Lauren Bell and de Klerk. Bell bowled 18 dot balls while de Klerk took 4/26 as MI wobbled at 80/4. However, Sajeevan Sajana (45 off 25) and Nicola Carey (40) rescued the innings with a record fifth-wicket stand of 82 runs. They helped lift MI to a total of 154/6 in their allotted overs.