Star Proteas allrounder Nadine de Klerk came in clutch for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women, as she powered them to a stunning last-ball win over defending champions Mumbai Indians Women, in a thrilling opening match of the Women’s Premier League at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday night.
What it means. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/uTidjfcooI
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) January 9, 2026
De Klerk was in incredible form, smashing seven fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 63 off 44 balls to hammer them over the line, after she had starred with the ball in the first innings picking up brilliant figures of 4-26 in her four overs.
RCB had won the toss and chosen to bowl, and looked to have the hosts in all sorts of trouble at a stage before middle-order batters Sajeevan Sajana, 45 off 25 (7x4; 1x6), and Nicola Carey, 40 off 29 (4x4), managed to get Mumbai to an almost defendable score of 154-6.
De Klerk was by far the pick of the bowlers, but was backed up very well by the miserly Lauren Bell who picked up 1-14 in her four overs.
👍😎
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 9, 2026
Thumbs up if you have a four-wicket haul in the #TATAWPL season opener!
Nadine de Klerk finishes with 4/26 ❤️
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/IWU1URl1fr#KhelEmotionKa | #MIvRCB pic.twitter.com/WMEzVc9Fyf
The RCB chase then started well, but fell apart in the middle, before De Klerk produced the finishing flourish to crunch her team to the win as they finished on 157-7 off the last ball.
A performance for the ages! 🫡
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 9, 2026
Nadine de Klerk is the Player of the Match for her 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 all-round show 👏🔥
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/IWU1URl1fr#TATAWPL | #KhelEmotionKa | #MIvRCB | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/8uIi7OdHEm
The RCB chase got off to a flying start thanks to openers Grace Harris, 25 off 12 (4x4; 1x6), and captain Smriti Mandhana, 18 off 13 (4x4), as they crunched 40 runs off the first three overs.
DE KLERK MAGIC
But a disastrous collapse then saw them lose five wickets for 25 runs off 4.1 overs as they crashed to 65-5 in the eighth over.
Former Proteas pace bowler Shabnim Ismail (1-26) started the slide as she had Mandhana skying to Poonam Khemnar, before she turned catcher as Harris lofted a ball straight to her at long-off off Nat Sciver-Brunt as they slipped to 47-2 after five overs.
Dayalan Hemalatha (7) was trapped LBW by Amonjot Kaur, before Amelia Kerr (2-13) stepped up with two wickets in the eighth over, removing Richa Ghosh (6) and Radha Yadav (1).
That saw De Klerk joined at the crease by Arundhati Reddy (20) and they gave themselves a chance by sharing in a 52-run stand off 51 balls, bringing their side into range.
However, Carey (2-35) made Mumbai favourites as she accounted for Reddy and Shreyanka Patil (1) in the 17th over, with RCB on 121-7 and needing 34 to win off 18 balls.
An important cameo from Prema Rawat (8*) hitting two vital boundaries, and the absolute carnage in the penultimate over, in which De Klerk was dropped twice and should have been run out only for the keeper to drop the ball, meant that 18 was needed off the last over.
Two dots at the start of the final over put Mumbai back on top, but De Klerk then belted Sciver-Brunt for 6, 4, 6, 4 to crack 20 off the last four balls to lead them to the stunning win.
𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘. 𝗔. 𝗕𝗢𝗪, Nadine de Klerk! 🙇♀️
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 9, 2026
🎥 She clinches a famous victory for @RCBTweets in the #TATAWPL 2026 opener ❤️
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/IWU1URl1fr#KhelEmotionKa | #MIvRCB pic.twitter.com/5a9kjYJc2b
At the start of the match the Mumbai innings got off to a slow and difficult start, as they lost Kerr (4), caught by Reddy off the bowling of Bell, and Sciver-Brunt (4), stumped by keeper Ghosh off De Klerk, cheaply, with them on 35-2 in he seventh over.
A 28-run third-wicket stand between opener Gunalan Kamalini (32) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20) then followed, before both fell in quick succession, Kamalini bowled by Shreyanka Patil, and Kaur also stumped by the Ghosh-De Klerk combination, leaving them in a spot of bother on 67-4 after 11 overs.
But that brought Carey and Sajana together and they set about rebuilding the innings with a very impressive 82-run partnership off 49 balls, to almost get them to a defendable score, before both fell in the last over chasing quick runs, caught off De Klerk.
MUMBAI INDIANS: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Gunalan Kamalini (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Nicola Carey, Poonam Khemnar, Shabnim Ismail, Sanskriti Gupta, Sajeevan Sajana, Saika Ishaque
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU: Smriti Mandhana (capt), Grace Harris, Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh (wk), Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Prema Rawat, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell