Redemption can be quite sweet, especially when it’s manifested for long.

Nadine de Klerk, known for her late pyrotechnics which lifted South Africa to the final of the Women’s ODI World Cup, couldn’t come through in a crunch final at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. Put in a similar position at the same venue two months later, the South African ground out an thrilling three-wicket win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Mumbai Indians in the 2026 Women’s Premier League season opener on Friday in Navi Mumbai.

All the talk about sixes and a run-hungry venue initially proved anticlimactic as MI huffed and puffed to 154/6 after being put in to bat. Lauren Bell’s imperious outswing made a demon-less strip a perilous one for the home side.

Amelia Kerr has never looked comfortable as an opener in the WPL, and her slog blunted a crowd that was tapping its feet moments ago to the tunes of Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh.

AS IT HAPPENED | MI vs RCB Highlights

Instead, G. Kamalini did the heavy lifting. With Nat Sciver-Brunt gone early, the 17-year-old stitched a 28-run stand off 22 balls with Harmanpreet Kaur to calm frayed nerves. The pair, however, fell in quick succession around the halfway mark.

Sajeevan Sajana then put on an 82-run stand with Nicola Carey. The pair’s audacious and often unflattering strokeplay was aided by two generous reprieves for Sajana, helping MI finish with a respectable score.

RCB’s new opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris made one double-check whose home ground the venue really is. A barrage of boundaries dotted a 23-ball 40-run stand.

Shabnim Ismail and Sciver-Brunt sent the marauding pair back soon in successive overs. A middle-order crumble thereafter wiped the smiles off the RCB dugout, with Smriti potentially ruing the decision to leave out Georgia Voll for the day.

De Klerk braved nerves and a procession of departing partners. The cricketing gods even gave her two lifelines in quick succession — a dropped catch and a botched run out — to keep RCB in the fight. With 18 needed off the last over, a familiar horror loop played out for Harmanpreet as de Klerk smashed two sixes and two fours to snatch an unlikely victory from the jaws of defeat.

Published on Jan 09, 2026