TATA WPL 2026: RCB Stun MI in Thrilling Season Opener

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 10 January 2026

• Season-opening thriller at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai
• RCB defeated defending champions MI by 3 wickets off the final ball
• Nadine de Klerk sealed the match, winning Player of the Match

Royal Challengers Bengaluru scripted a dramatic start to their TATA WPL 2026 campaign, defeating defending champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets in a last-ball thriller at the DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai. The season opener belonged to Nadine de Klerk, whose sensational all-round debut powered RCB to a memorable victory.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and decided to field. Batting first, the Mumbai Indians faced early pressure from a disciplined RCB bowling attack. Lauren Bell set the tone with a maiden over, while de Klerk struck key blows to remove Amelia Kerr (4/15) and later Harmanpreet Kaur (20/17). MI found stability through a counter-attacking partnership between Sajeevan Sajana (45/25) and Nicola Carey (40/29), who added valuable runs in the middle and death overs. Sajeevan’s aggressive strokeplay and Nicola’s composure lifted MI to a competitive 154 for 6, despite de Klerk finishing with outstanding figures of 4 for 26.

RCB’s chase began positively but quickly derailed as Mumbai’s bowlers triggered a collapse, reducing them to 75 for 5 midway through the innings. With the match slipping away, Nadine de Klerk (63/44) showed remarkable calm. Partnering with Arundhati Reddy (20/25), she rebuilt the innings with a crucial stand that kept RCB in contention. Even after wickets fell late, the contest went down to the wire.

Needing 18 from the final over, de Klerk delivered under immense pressure, striking a series of decisive boundaries to seal the win off the final ball. She remained unbeaten on 63 from 44 balls, completing a match-defining performance that earned her the Player of the Match award and gave RCB the perfect start to their WPL 2026 journey.