Nadine de Klerk's monstrous all-round performance helps RCB clinch last-ball thriller in WPL 2026 opener

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched an absolute thriller to kickstart their WPL 2026 campaign on the back of an all-round masterclass from Nadine de Klerk. In a battle that oscillated from one end to another, RCB came back almost from a point of no return as they secured the first win of the season and that too at the expense of the defending champions.

Winning the toss, RCB opted to bowl first. English pace ace Lauren Bell set the tone early with the ball in her hands. The very first over bowled by Bell was a maiden as she left Amelia Kerr stranded. The next over from her saw her concede a solitary run as RCB kept things under control. Eventually after much to and fro, Bell removed the dangerous Kerr (4), getting RCB in position to spit more venom in the upcoming overs.

Nadine de Klerk struck on the second ball of her very first over, getting the better of the dangerous Nat Sciver-Brunt (4). Gunalan Kamalini (32) looked in control and was also responsible for steadying the Mumbai ship after the initial blows. She looked well en route in carrying out her task before Shreyanka Patil returned to breach her defences.

Harmanpreet Kaur (20) started well, only to hole out to Richa Ghosh off Nadine de Klerk. As MI wobbled at 67/4, Nicola Carey (40) and Sajeevan Sajana (45) conjured a fine partnership of 82 runs to propel Mumbai to a fighting stance. Eventually a double whammy from de Klerk got them both in the 19th over as Mumbai Indians finished their innings at 154/6.

Nadine de Klerk was the pick of the lot for RCB with incredible figures of 4/26 while Lauren Bell’s disciplined display at the start got RCB rolling in the right direction.

Chasing 155, RCB got off to a rollicking start as Smriti Mandhana (18) and Grace Harris (25) wanted to make the most out of the powerplay. The duo added 40 runs from the first three overs, creating some serious headache for the Mumbai bowlers. However, RCB’s joys were short-lived as they lost both Mandhana and Grace Harris in quick succession, falling to Shabnim Ismail and Nat Sciver-Brunt in respectively.

The fall of Grace Harris precipitated an unprecedented collapse that left RCB scratching their heads. Dayalan Hemalatha (7), Richa Ghosh (6) and Radha Yadav (1) couldn’t add anything significant as RCB started wilting under the pump. Reduced to 65/5, they needed something special from the last pair of recognized batters in the center, including Nadine de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy.

Despite things being sedate at the start, Nadine knew that she had to keep the tempo going. Reddy hung in at the other end while de Klerk brought out the explosive side of hers. The duo added 52 runs for the sixth wicket before Reddy fell. However, the partnership offered hope to RCB and the platform that was needed by de Klerk to get into swinging motion.

Despite Shreyanka Patil (1) falling early, Prema Rawat walked in and ensured that the South African hitter had enough time to switch gears to the fifth. With 22 needed off 7, Prema Rawat whacked Ismail for a boundary on the last ball of the 19th over. With 18 needed off the final six, de Klerk missed out on the first two balls of the final over. With the equation down to 18 off 4, the South Africa power-hitter knew that it was then or never. She struck Sciver-Brunt over long-off for a massive maximum to breathe life into the game.

This was followed by a slower bouncer from Nat and Nadine went after it, clobbering it behind square as the ball crossed the fence with a bounce along the way. What followed thereafter was an absolute monster from de Klerk, who smashed a slower one on leg-stump bowled at back of a length, and the ball flew over deep mid-wicket and beyond the boundary ropes.

With two needed from the last ball, de Klerk rocked Sciver-Brunt down the ground to score the match-winning boundary. She stayed unbeaten for a defining 63 off just 44 balls, rocking seven fours and two sixes and also secured the Player of the Match award for her all-round brilliance as RCB secured the bragging rights on the final ball of the game.