Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana was elated after her team pulled off a dramatic last-over victory against defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 opener, saying “RCB are known to play thrillers” and expressing happiness that they were finally on the winning side after losing several close matches last season. Nadine de Klerk emerged as the hero, smashing 20 runs in the last over to complete an incredible chase at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday.

“Last year, we were on receiving end”

The clash between Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, leading the Mumbai Indians, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, the RCB skipper, lived up to the monumental hype built after India’s maiden World Cup title last year as an all-round show from Nadine de Klerk powered the Red and Gold side to a thrilling three-wicket win against the defending champions.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Smriti said, “I think for the first match of the WPL, it was a thriller. And RCB are known to play thrillers. Last year, we were on the receiving end of these matches, so happy that we pulled it off. Brilliant from Nadine to finish the match like that. Everyone was pretty positive. We were having a laugh. Even when things were not going well, everyone was pretty positive.”

The victory was particularly sweet for RCB, who had endured heartbreaking losses in similar situations during the previous season.

Mandhana recalls Nadine’s World Cup heroics

Smriti also spoke about how Nadine had snatched a match for South Africa during last year’s World Cup against India from the jaws of defeat, powering her side to a successful chase of 250-odd runs from a troublesome situation at 142/6 with her 84* at Visakhapatnam. She said that just like MI’s Sajeevan Sajana had made them pay for a catch drop with some quick runs, they were hoping Nadine would also unleash her sixes after getting dropped by Nat Sciver-Brunt.

“Yeah, we saw that in Visakhapatnam when she played that innings against us (during the World Cup). And I was just telling our head coach, Malolan, that I think we were in a similar situation against South Africa in the World Cup match, and she pulled it off. And I think when she got dropped, we just said that when we dropped Sajana, got runs - let us hope she gets two sixes. And she actually got them,” she added.

Nadine de Klerk’s historic all-round performance

De Klerk, named ‘Player of the Match’ for her tidy spell of 4/26 and an explosive 44-ball 63*, with seven fours and two sixes, became just the second player in WPL history after Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma (59 and 4/19 for UP Warriorz against Delhi Capitals)* to score a fifty and take four wickets in a WPL match.

At one point, Nadine was seven runs in 12 balls, but accelerated brilliantly to get 56 runs in the next 32 balls, showcasing her ability to shift gears when needed.

“Never give up” mentality key to success

Nadine, speaking during the post-match presentation, said that it is important to cash in on opportunities when it is one’s day to fire. She also pointed out how frustrated she was with how her innings started, but managed to bring an important “never give up” mentality during the match and “stay in the fight”.

“Obviously, lucky with a few chances going my way, just glad we got over the line. It’s always great to start with a win. I think it’s just about coming in and really backing your skills and trying to execute,” she said.

“I think I was probably a little frustrated, to be honest, at the beginning of my innings. I really struggled to get it away. But I just say, with every batter that I bat with, cricket is a funny game. You just have to stay in the fight. I guess it’s just a massive mentality thing; never give up. T20 cricket, especially, we know on these grounds it’s very good batting wickets, not the biggest boundaries, so you know you can cash in. It was just about giving myself a chance out there, and luckily it came off today,” she added.

Match summary

RCB won the toss and opted to field first. After MI was reduced to 67/4, an 82-run stand between S Sajana (45 in 25 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and Nicola Carey (40 in 29 balls, with four boundaries) took MI to 154/6, with Nadine (4/26) and Lauren Bell (1/14) bowling incredible four-over spells.

Chasing the total, RCB was off to a fine start with a 40-run opening stand between Grace Harris (25 in 12 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and skipper Smriti Mandhana (18 in 13 balls, with four boundaries). A spell from Amelia Kerr (2/13) played a crucial role in swinging the tide towards MI’s favor, reducing RCB to 65/5.

But a 52-run stand between Nadine and Arundhati Reddy (20 in 25 balls, with two fours) kept RCB alive in the hunt. With 18 runs left in the final over, after two dot balls against Sciver-Brunt, Nadine nailed her for 6, 4, 6, and 4 to seal a memorable win, with Prema Rawat (8 in four balls with two fours)* playing a little cameo.