RCB Clinches Thrilling Win Over MI in WPL 2026 Opener

Mumbai: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 kicked off with a nail-biting encounter as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by three wickets in a dramatic finish. The match went down to the final over, with Nadine de Klerk emerging as the hero of the day.

RCB Pull Off Last-Over Miracle
Chasing 155 runs set by MI, RCB got off to a flying start with openers Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris putting up 40 runs in just 3 overs. However, the chase hit a rocky patch as RCB lost 5 wickets for 65 runs. The innings was steadied by a crucial partnership between Nadine de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy, who added 52 runs together. Reddy scored 20 before being dismissed.

With 18 runs needed off the final over, MI’s Nat Saiver-Brent came on to bowl. De Klerk held her nerve, hitting two sixes and two fours, and sealed a thrilling victory with a boundary on the last ball.

Mumbai’s Batting Highlights
MI, batting first, posted 154/6 in 20 overs. Sajivan Sajna played a blistering knock of 45 runs off 25 balls, including 7 fours and 1 six, while Nicola Carey contributed 40 runs off 29 balls. Their 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket was crucial in rescuing MI from early setbacks.

The rest of MI’s top order struggled. Gunalini Kamalini scored a handy 32 runs off 28 balls, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 20 runs. Early breakthroughs by Lauren Bell and sharp bowling by de Klerk, who finished with 4 wickets for just 26 runs, kept MI under pressure. Shreyanka Patil also chipped in with a wicket.

Match Flow
The match began with a maiden over from Lauren Bell, during which MI opener Amelia Kerr failed to score. Kamalini countered in the next over with two fours off Lindsay Smith, giving MI a small boost. Kerr struggled and eventually fell in the fifth over to Bell. The middle order also faltered, with Nat Saiver-Brent dismissed in the seventh over and Kamalini caught at the stumps in the tenth. Harmanpreet Kaur was dismissed attempting a cover drive off de Klerk.

Despite MI’s early dominance and solid partnerships in patches, RCB’s clinical bowling and de Klerk’s finishing heroics turned the game around in the last over, setting the tone for an exciting WPL 2026 season.