7 months ago
RCB Wins WPL 2026 Opener
Nadine de Klerk, a star player from South Africa, helped her team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), win a very exciting cricket match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026.
She took 4 wickets and scored 63 runs not out, which helped RCB win by 3 wickets.
De Klerk said that when a player feels it's their day, they should make the most of it.
She also praised her teammates for their important contributions.
The match was closely fought, with RCB needing 18 runs in the last over to win.
De Klerk's brilliant batting in the final over sealed the victory for RCB.
Unfortunately, RCB's Pooja Vastrakar and MI's Hayley Matthews were both injured and couldn't play in the match.
MI will now face Delhi Capitals in their next match, aiming to secure their first win of the season.
Nadine de Klerk led RCB to a thrilling 3-wicket win over MI in WPL 2026.
She took 4 wickets for 26 runs and scored an unbeaten 63 off 44 balls.
RCB chased down 155, needing 18 runs off the final over, which de Klerk achieved with a six and a boundary.
De Klerk credited her teammates Arundhati Reddy and Prema Rawat for crucial partnerships.
For MI, Nicola Carey and Amelia Kerr took 2 wickets each, while Nat Sciver-Brunt, Shabnim Ismail, and Amanjot Kaur took 1 wicket each.
- Who
- Nadine de Klerk, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs. Mumbai Indians (MI)
- What
- A thrilling WPL 2026 match where RCB won by 3 wickets
- Where
- Navi Mumbai
- When
- January 10, 2026
- Why
- Nadine de Klerk's match-winning all-round performance
Mumbai Indians
Delhi Capitals
Team Performance
Mumbai Indians
MI lost a last-ball thriller to RCB in their season opener and are eager to open their account on the points table.
Delhi Capitals
DC is determined to start the new season on a positive note by taking down the most successful team in the league.
Key facts
- Teams
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs. Mumbai Indians
- Match Result
- RCB won by 3 wickets
- Nadine de Klerk's Performance
- 4/26 with the ball, 63* off 44 balls with the bat
- MI's Total
- 154/6 in 20 overs
- RCB's Total
- 157/7 in 20 overs
- Match Date
- January 10, 2026
- Venue
- Navi Mumbai
- Key Bowlers for MI
- Nicola Carey (2/20), Amelia Kerr (2/25), Nat Sciver-Brunt (1/20), Shabnim Ismail (1/22), Amanjot Kaur (1/20)
- Injured Players
- Pooja Vastrakar (RCB, hamstring), Hayley Matthews (MI, shoulder)
- MI Squad
- Hayley Matthews, G Kamalini, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Sajeevan Sajana, Poonam Khemnar, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Triveni Vasistha, Nalla Reddy, Rahila Firdous, Milly Illingworth, Saika Ishaque, Nicola Carey
- DC Squad
- Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Laura Wolvaardt, Deeya Yadav, Taniya Bhatia, Lizelle Lee, Mamatha Madiwala, Chinelle Henry, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, Lucy Hamilton, Nandani Sharma
Timeline
Samson exits RCB, cites personal reasons.
Then, Nadine de Klerk steps in as new skipper.
She aims to turn RCB's WPL fortunes around.
In her debut, Nadine smashes 63* and claims 4 wickets.
RCB downs Mumbai Indians in a nail-biter.
Quotes
Nicola Carey
All-rounder for the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League
“If you look at the other overseas players in this lineup, they are world-class. I was under no illusions about where I sat. I just prepared how I would go into a game. Sometimes you have last-minute changes, and that’s just the nature of these competitions.”
thehansindia.com
“The crowd has been amazing. It’s been wild. Playing alongside players like Harmanpreet Kaur and watching how they go about things has been really cool. You’re always learning in different conditions with different players and coaches.”
thehansindia.com
Mithali Raj
Former India captain and cricket commentator
“From the time she walked in, she was timing the ball well. She didn’t take many deliveries to get her eye in. She continued from where she left off on Friday, scoring those 30-odd runs, and the shots she played were very clean. The bat swing, how she picked the length, she was playing in the areas she was targeting, and she picked her bowlers as well when the spinners came on. That one big over from Minnu Mani, although boundaries were hit by Nat Sciver-Brunt, both of them picked up momentum there. There was a shift in the game, and from then on, she was playing shots at will.”
thehansindia.com
deccanchronicle.com
“When it comes to her form, she might have a couple of quiet games, but you know there is always a big innings coming from her. When she walked in, the approach and intent she showed suggested she wanted to contribute to the team. She didn’t do that in the last game, but as a unit, Mumbai Indians were aware that if they wanted to get across the line, she had to come good. The fortunes of Mumbai Indians rest heavily on her. When she does well, everybody else around her just gets going.”
thehansindia.com
deccanchronicle.com
Katey Martin
Former New Zealand cricketer and commentator
“I think they adjusted their plans really well. They bowled a lot straighter and at better lengths. Amelia Kerr is so effective through the middle, but she had the platform created early by other bowlers. I thought Shabnim Ismail’s execution was top-notch, even though she was unlucky not to get Lizelle Lee out a little earlier with that bumper plan. I think Nicola Carey bowled perfect deliveries for those two types of players, where you want to beat them on the inside edge. So, it was really clear in terms of planning from Mumbai Indians bowlers, and the execution was pinpoint in comparison to Friday against RCB, including the key moments like the catch from Kamalini to dismiss Jemimah Rodrigues. We saw a number of dropped catches on Friday that potentially shifted the game. So I think it was those quick improvements and a positive shift in attitude.”
thehansindia.com
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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