Delhi: In the first match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated the defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) in a thrilling manner. The biggest queen of this match was South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, who completely changed the course of the match with both ball and bat.

Excitement at its peak in the first match

Mumbai Indians and RCB were face to face in the inaugural match of the tournament. Batting first, Mumbai team could score only 154 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. For RCB, De Klerk bowled brilliantly and took four important wickets for 26 runs in four overs and controlled Mumbai’s run rate.

RCB falters while chasing a difficult target

RCB’s start to chase the target of 155 runs was not as expected. The team had lost seven wickets till the score of 121 runs and the match seemed to be in the grip of Mumbai. In such a delicate situation, Nadine De Klerk took the responsibility and performed brilliantly.

Nadine de Klerk’s explosive innings

Nadine de Klerk played a brilliant inning of 63 runs in 44 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes. He made an important partnership with Arundhati Reddy, who supported him well by scoring 20 runs. In the last over, Nadine gave RCB a memorable win by hitting a four on the last ball.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s statement after defeat

After losing the match, Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that her team made a mistake in the last moments. He said that everyone is aware of Nadine de Klerk’s ability and she can score big runs even under pressure. According to Harmanpreet, the team tried its best to win the match, but if a better ball had been bowled in the last over, the result could have been different.

Great start for RCB with victory

With this win, Royal Challengers Bangalore started their campaign in WPL 2026 on a bright note, while Mumbai Indians had to face defeat. The all-round performance of Nadine de Klerk was the biggest story of this match, which increased the excitement of the tournament in the very first match.