Nadine de Klerk once again underlined her reputation as one of the finest finishers in white-ball cricket, producing a breathtaking all-round performance to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a dramatic last-ball victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians on the opening night of WPL 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium.

After earlier returning figures of 4 for 26 to help restrict the two-time champions to 154 for 6, the South African allrounder followed it up with a sensational unbeaten 63. Walking into a precarious chase after RCB had slipped to 65 for 5, de Klerk turned the match on its head by hammering 20 runs off the final four balls—when 18 were required—to seal a memorable three-wicket win in the tournament’s fourth season.

Mumbai, asked to bat first, struggled to gain momentum early against a disciplined RCB bowling unit. On debut, Lauren Bell made an immediate impact, bowling 11 dot balls across her first two overs as MI’s top order laboured for fluency. Amelia Kerr found scoring difficult, while the early dismissals of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Kerr left Mumbai under pressure.

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur showed flashes of her power, scoring 20 from 17 deliveries and overtaking Shafali Verma as the WPL’s leading domestic run-scorer. However, it was young opener G Kamalini who provided stability, compiling a composed 32 while wickets fell around her. Mumbai were in trouble at 80 for 4 following Harmanpreet’s departure before S Sajana and Nicola Carey staged a crucial rescue act.

The pair added a record 82 runs for the fifth wicket in just 49 balls—the highest such stand for the franchise. Benefiting from the dew and attacking intent, they swung the momentum decisively in the final overs. Sajana led the charge with a blistering 45 off 25 balls, while Carey played a measured supporting role, rotating strike and finding gaps. Mumbai piled on more than 69 runs in the final six overs to lift their total beyond 150, though de Klerk returned in the final over to dismiss both set batters and finish as RCB’s standout bowler.

RCB’s reply began briskly, with Smriti Mandhana and new opening partner Grace Harris racing to 40 in just 23 balls. Despite both openers falling in quick succession, RCB still emerged with a healthy 57 for 2 at the end of the PowerPlay.

The chase soon went awry. Amanjot Kaur struck immediately to trap D Hemalatha lbw, while Amelia Kerr delivered a double strike in her opening over—removing Radha Yadav and then having Richa Ghosh caught in the deep. RCB slumped with a collapse of five wickets for 25 runs, exposing their thin batting depth.

Unlike Mumbai’s counterattacking middle order, RCB’s recovery was slow. After a boundary-less stretch, a successful review spared Arundhati Reddy before de Klerk began to shift gears. The sixth-wicket stand took advantage of Saika Ishaque, who conceded three boundaries in an over, but MI responded by bringing Kerr back to control the scoring. The New Zealand leg-spinner finished with impressive figures of 2 for 13, leaving RCB needing 38 from the final four overs.

Reddy’s dismissal at the start of the death overs, followed by Carey bowling Shreyanka Patil, put Mumbai firmly on top. At 121 for 7 after 17 overs, RCB appeared all but beaten.

What followed was a dramatic swing. De Klerk survived two dropped chances and a missed run-out in the penultimate over bowled by Shabnim Ismail, before Prema Rawat struck a boundary to reduce the equation to 18 off the final six balls. Two dot balls at the start of the last over swung the advantage back to Mumbai—briefly. De Klerk then produced a stunning finish, smashing Sciver-Brunt for 6, 4, 6 and 4 to complete an extraordinary heist on the final delivery.

Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 154/6 in 20 overs (S Sajana 54, Nicola Carey 40; Nadine de Klerk 4/26, Lauren Bell 1/14)
lost to
Royal Challengers Bangalore 157/7 in 20 overs (Nadine de Klerk 63*; Amelia Kerr 2/13, Nicola Carey 2/35)
by 3 wickets