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Nadine de Klerk (Photo by WPL)

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women kicked off their WPL 2026 campaign in some style against Mumbai Indians Women in the opening match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday. The match went right down to the final ball and kept fans on the edge of their seats. “It was de Klerk’s night in Navi Mumbai,” the commentator roared as Nadine de Klerk hit the winning boundary.

With two runs needed off the last ball, De Klerk showed great courage. She went for a lofted shot, and it worked perfectly, sealing a three-wicket win for RCB in style.Earlier in the evening, Mumbai Indians were put in to bat after RCB won the toss and chose to bowl. MI struggled to get going at the top. Big names like Amelia Kerr (4) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (4) fell early. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20) tried to steady the innings but could not stay long.The main fight came from Sajeevan Sajana and Nicola Carey. Sajana played an aggressive knock of 45 runs off just 25 balls. Carey added a steady 40 from 29 deliveries. Their partnership powered Mumbai to a fighting total of 154 /6 in 20 overs. For RCB, Nadine de Klerk was the standout bowler as she picked up four wickets and broke the back of the MI batting.Chasing 155, RCB started brightly. Grace Harris attacked from the start with 25 off 12 balls. Smriti Mandhana also looked fluent before getting out early for 18. However, quick wickets in the middle overs put RCB under pressure.That’s when Nadine de Klerk stepped up with the bat. She played with her known bravery, having amassed 63 not out from 44 balls. She found great support from Arundhati Reddy, who added 20 crucial runs. Even after losing a few wickets late, RCB stayed in the chase, thanks to the South African all-rounder. With nerves taking over in the final over, De Klerk held her composure. She finished the match with a bold stroke as RCB went past the target at 157/7 in 20 overs.The win gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru a perfect start to their WPL 2026 journey. On the other hand, Mumbai Indians were left to reflect on missed chances with their sloppy fielding and dropped catches despite a competitive total.

TimesofIndia.com in Durban: No team has managed to defend their T20 World Cup title yet and India will face a stiff challenge in the upcoming tournament in front of their home crowd. While the added pressure of playing in front of a home crowd will test them, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith says he would be surprised if India fail to reach the last four, noting an “interesting transition phase in Indian cricket.““Listen, with India’s talent, you can never write them off. It’s a home World Cup. And it does seem an interesting transition phase in Indian cricket, you know, between Gautam (Gambhir) and senior players and, you know, who’s next and how that transition happens. And it seems to be in an interesting place. So, it’s going to be good to watch how things go. But certainly from a talent perspective, India, if they’re not in the last four at least, I’ll be very surprised,” adds Smith.

The start of the 2026 T20 World Cup is less than a month away and Smith wants his team to beat India in the final of the multi-nation tournament. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing SA20, league commissioner Smith said the Proteas have all bases covered with their squad.“Obviously, I’d like us to beat India in the final, you know (laughs)… I think if Shukri and the team can get their combinations right, I think there’s a real opportunity that the team can do very well. And, you know, I think there’s enough quality of ability to play spin there as well in that middle order, particularly in India. So, let’s hope, you know, that there will be a good World Cup around the corner,” says Smith in a select media interaction.

During the India Day of the SA20 last year, Smith had mentioned how he wants South Africa to beat India in the Test series. The Proteas not only achieved that but outplayed India across all departments, securing a historic 2-0 series win. Smith admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the team’s dominant performance in both matches.“We know it’s a tough place to go on tour. I was really surprised by how dominant we were in the test series. That really did surprise me. But it was brilliant. I mean, the test side over the last year, year and a half, has really been the beacon of light, you know, from a national team perspective. It’s been brilliant. Temba (Bavuma), Shukri (Conrad), you know, have done wonders. Hopefully, it continues,” adds Smith.The SA20 is now in its fourth season and Smith feels it’s the right platform for local players looking to make a name for themselves. Citing the example of Nqobani Mokoena, the former opener says there are enough opportunities for the players to put their name in the global hat.“Well, I think if you want to push for place in the South African team and you’re not in the kind of first 15 or 16 of names, this is the platform to do it. I think, you know, we’ve seen now, if you take IPL, I think last year we had 17 or 18 players from South Africa playing in the IPL. That’s the most international. And I think (that’s) because of the platform of, you know, SA20. So, I think if you’re a young player like Mokoena, no one knew about him until a few games ago.“So, now there’s these opportunities for players to put their name in the global hat. When I was playing, you had to play for South Africa to be seen. You know, domestic cricket never got noticed around the world. Now you’ve got a product that everyone globally is looking at and saying, oh, there’s some real talent around. You know, so I think if you want to push for places, this is the tournament to do it,” concludes Smith.

WPL 2026 season opener at the DY Patil Stadium was a night of pure theater, beginning with a star-studded opening ceremony and ending with a final-ball thriller. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) managed to edge out the defending champions, Mumbai Indians (MI), in a match that will be remembered for individual brilliance and a miraculous comeback.

WPL 2026: Nadine de Klerk pulls off dramatic turnaround as RCB defeat MI in a thriller

South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk orchestrated a heist of epic proportions to give RCB a winning start. Chasing a target of 155, Bengaluru found themselves in deep trouble at 121/7 after 17.2 overs, with the required rate climbing steeply and the MI bowling attack, led by Nicola Carey and Amelia Kerr, looking impenetrable.

De Klerk, who had been dropped twice in the 19th over and survived a close run-out call, took the game into the final over with 18 runs needed off just 6 balls. After starting the over with two nerve-wracking dot balls from Nat Sciver-Brunt, the equation stood at a near-impossible 18 from 4, but de Klerk remained ice-cold under the stadium lights. She proceeded to dismantle the defense with a sequence of 6, 4, 6, 4, clearing the long-off boundary with immense power before sealing the victory on the final delivery to finish unbeaten on 63 off 44 balls*.

The victory was the culmination of a perfect all-round performance by de Klerk, who had earlier dismantled the Mumbai’s top order during her four-over spell. After Smriti Mandhana won the toss and elected to field, de Klerk utilized the “spongy bounce” of the DY Patil pitch to perfection, removing stars like Nat Sciver-Brunt and the MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to finish with career-best figures of 4/26.

Despite her early breakthroughs, Mumbai had managed to post a competitive 154/6 thanks to a resilient 83-run partnership between Sajeevan Sajana (45) and Nicola Carey (40). However, their efforts were overshadowed by the sheer will of de Klerk, who single-handedly dragged RCB across the line in the final moments of the game. This 3-wicket victory serves as a massive statement of intent for Bengaluru, proving they have the temperament to win from any situation as they look to dethrone the reigning champions this season.

Also WATCH: Dream start for Lauren Bell at RCB as Amelia Kerr becomes first wicket of WPL 2026

WPL 2026: Mumbai Indians stunned by late Royal Challengers Bengaluru surge

Defending champions Mumbai Indians appeared to have the match firmly in their grasp until a final-over explosion turned their certain victory into a heartbreaking defeat. After a shaky start where they were reduced to 67/4, the middle-order pair of Sajana and Carey played with immense maturity, counter-attacking against the RCB spinners to lift the total to 154.

Sajana was particularly aggressive, striking seven boundaries and a six in her 25-ball 45, while Carey provided the stability with a crucial 40. Their partnership gave the MI bowlers a target they felt confident defending, and for 19 overs, it seemed they were right. Shabnim Ismail and Amelia Kerr bowled with discipline, consistently picking up wickets and stifling the RCB chase, leaving the Bengaluru side needing a daunting 18 runs off the final four deliveries of the entire match.

However, the game shifted in a matter of minutes as Nat Sciver-Brunt struggled to contain a rampaging de Klerk in the ultimate over of the night. Mumbai’s fielding, which had been sharp for most of the evening, crumbled under the pressure of the death overs, with two critical catches of de Klerk being spilled in the penultimate over, errors that would eventually cost them the game.

As the final ball raced to the long-off fence for four, the Mumbai Indians were left to reflect on a game of missed opportunities and a rare failure to close out a match from a dominant position. While the defeat is a setback for Harmanpreet Kaur’s side, the fighting spirit shown by their lower-middle order remains a positive takeaway.

Here’s how fans reacted: 

Woowwwwww

What a game that was

Intense , kept swinging both ways and just the start a tournament like @wplt20 needs

Cricket is a beautiful sport . Love it

Nadine de Klerk you were 🤩

Well done @RCBTweets and @mipaltan
Fun start

❤️❤️

— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 9, 2026

Great start to the WPL. 🔥🔥🔥
Well done to RCB!
De Klerk lives up to the promise.👌#WPL2026 #RCBvMI

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 9, 2026

You knew it at the Women’s World Cup – Nadine de Klerk is going to be an absolute game changer wherever she goes. What a start to the WPL !! First of many this season for @rcb for sure …

— Jatin Sapru (@jatinsapru) January 9, 2026

NADINE DE KLERK REMEMBER THE NAME

— Kevin (@imkevin149) January 9, 2026

Nadine de Klerk! I know a lot would hate me saying this but very Lance Kluseneresque that was! Sooo much fun! South Africa produces such great all rounders!

— TheRandomCricketPhotosGuy (@RandomCricketP1) January 9, 2026

What a game! Nadine de Klerk continues her unreal run since the WC. #WPL2026

— Peeyush Sharma (@peeyushsharmaa) January 9, 2026

Nadine de klerk is an absolute champion of a player #WPL2026

— Yash Rathi (@YashRathi1845) January 9, 2026

Nadine de Klerk scares me like nobody else does. I haven’t recovered from the World Cup onslaught Yet and she packs another punch against us.

What a player though..#WPL2026

— Cricketologist (@AMP86793444) January 9, 2026

Build Nadine de Klerk a statue. pic.twitter.com/EEUMJWpJ4L

— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) January 9, 2026

First match of the season and what a thrilling match it was ⚡🔥

– Majestic innings from Nadine de Klerk 🙌#MIvRCB #WPL2026 #nandinedekelerk pic.twitter.com/REDBUOHzZs

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) January 9, 2026

Also WATCH: WPL 2026 opening ceremony turns electric as Yo Yo Honey Singh, Jacqueline Fernandez and Harnaaz Sandhu steal the show

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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