WPL: Nadine de Klerk's all-round show powers RCB to secure a win over MI

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 9 : Nadine de Klerk's four-fer followed by a match-winning half-century powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to open their account with a win in the opening match of Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday in Navi Mumbai.
de Klerk slammed 20 runs off the last over to get her side over the line and secure a win by 3 wickets over the defending champions.
Chasing 155, Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana opened the innings for RCB. The duo took on the charge right from the first over as they took RCB to 40 runs in just 3.4 overs before Mandhana was removed for 18 off 13 balls, including 4 fours.
Nat Sciver-Brunt in the following over, removed Harris, who played a fiery cameo of 25 runs off just 12 balls. RCB went off track after losing both their openers as they went from 47-2 to 65-5 inside 10 overs.
Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav even failed to reach double digits. Amelia Kerr removed Yadav and Ghosh, while Amanjot Kaur got the better of Hemalatha. Kerr also surpassed Hayley Matthews' tally of 41 wickets to become the leading wicket-taker in WPL history.
Nadine de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy took RCB's innings forward, with de Klerk taking on MI and Reddy rotating strike on regular intervals. Reddy narrowly escaped an lbw appeal off Kerr's delivery, with the umpire initially giving her out, but the decision was reversed upon review as the ball was deemed to be missing the stumps.
The duo of de Klerk and Reddy put on a 50-run 6th-wicket stand, reaching the milestone in the 16th over, showcasing a rapid partnership with de Klerk as the aggressor.
In the following over, Nicola Carey broke the 50 runs stand as she removed Reddy for 20 runs off 25 balls, including two fours. Kerr took an excellent catch close to the rope at deep mid-wicket.
With this catch, Kerr equals Mandhana and the newly appointed Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Jemimah Rodrigues for most outfield catches in WPL. Carey gave RCB a double blow as she, in the same over, cleaned up Shreyanka Patil for just 1.
RCB's lone warrior de Klerk raced past her 50 after smashing Nat Sciver-Brunt in the final over of the innings.
Earlier in the match, a brisk 82-run stand between Sajeevan Sajana and Nicola Carey pulled MI out of trouble, while Nadine de Klerk took a fantastic four-wicket haul as the defending champions ended their 20 overs at 154/6 against RCB.
After MI was restricted to 67/4, some entertaining batting from Sajana (45 in 25 balls, with seven fours and a six) and Carey (40 in 29 balls, with four boundaries) enthralled a packed DY Patil Stadium, with Nadine (4/26) and Lauren Bell (1/14) delivering incredible four-over spells.
RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first, and their frontline pacer Lauren Bell started off with a fierce maiden over, making New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr struggle. At one point, an appeal for lbw was made, but turned down.
In the second over, India's U19 T20 World Cup 2025 star G Kamalini broke the shackles with two punches for boundaries against spinner Linsey Smith, getting 10 runs off the second over.
Pacers Bell and Arundhati Reddy did a commendable job of containing MI, with Kerr getting off the mark on her 11th ball, while Kamalini looked more fluent at the other end. Kerr's frustration gave in as she swung across the line to a Bell delivery and gave an easy catch to Reddy in covers, dismissed for a 15-ball four. MI was 21/1 in five overs.
Linsey, on the other end, continued to give out absolute freebies to Kamalini and Nat-Sciver Brunt, as they collected three boundaries, two of them by Kamalini in the final over of the powerplay. MI was 34/1 in six overs, with Kamalini (25*) and Sciver-Brunt (4*) unbeaten.
South Africa's World Cup 2025 star Nadine de Klerk got the prized scalp of WPL 2025 'Player of the Tournament' Sciver-Brunt for just four runs in three balls, courtesy some fantastic work behind the stumps from Richa Ghosh. MI was 35/2 in 6.2 overs.
It was up to skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Kamalini to drive MI out of trouble, with the 50-run mark coming in 8.5 overs. Harman looked solid, collecting a four through mid-wicket against Bell and clubbing spinner Shreyanka Patil for a flat six. However, RCB managed to give MI another jolt in the form of Kamalini's wicket, who was cleaned up by Shreyanka for a 28-ball 32, with five fours. MI was 63/3 halfway through their innings.
In the next over, Nadine got Harmanpreet caught behind by Richa for a 17-ball 20, with a four and six each. MI was 67/4 in 11 overs.
Nicola Carey and Sajeevan Sajana were the fresh pair at the crease, and the duo relieved massive amounts of pressure by collecting 15 runs off Radha Yadav's 15th over, with Sajana's massive six over long on, her boundary to deep mid-wicket being a standout moment of aggression. Carey also managed to get a four. 100-run were up for MI in 15 overs.
Sajana was playing the innings befitting a WPL opener, smashing two boundaries against Reddy, dancing down the wicket, pulling and all, doing it all effortlessly. In the 17th over, Nadine became the victim of her onslaught, getting hit for three boundaries by a young Indian hitter and giving away 14 runs. The fifty-run stand between the duo came in just 32 balls as runs flowed thick and fast.
The partnership kept going, with a boundary each scored by batters in Arundhati's penultimate over. However, a loft towards deep mid-off by Sajana ended her knock, as Nadine got her second wicket. The batter departed after an entertaining 25-ball 45, with seven fours and a six. The 82-run stand in 49 balls was over, with MI at 149/5 in 19.1 overs.
MI ended their 20 overs at 154/6, with Nadine also getting Carey for a 29-ball 40, with four boundaries. Amanjot Kaur and Poonam Khemnar were unbeaten on nil each.
Nadine (4/26) was the standout bowler for RCB, with Bell also delivering an excellent spell of 1/14 in four overs. Shreyanka conceded 32 runs in four overs, but got a wicket.