Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kicked off their campaign with a victory that defied the odds, snatching a three-wicket win against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians (MI). In a match that seemed lost for the Bengaluru side, South African star Nadine de Klerk produced an all-time great individual performance, proving to be the difference-maker with both bat and ball at the DY Patil Stadium.
De Klerk’s Late-Game Heroics Silence Mumbai Indians
The chase looked dead and buried for RCB after a disastrous collapse. Despite a blistering start from Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris, who helped the team plunder 40+ runs in the first three overs, the middle order crumbled. Amelia Kerr was the chief destroyer for MI, removing the dangerous Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav to leave RCB reeling at 65 for 5 in the eighth over. With 90 runs still needed and the big hitters back in the dugout, MI appeared to have the game in the bag.
However, Nadine de Klerk had other plans. After steadying the ship with Arundhati Reddy, de Klerk found herself needing 18 runs off the final over bowled by Nat Sciver-Brunt. After two agonizing dot balls, the pressure reached a breaking point. De Klerk responded with a sequence of 6, 4, and 6, leaving just two runs needed off the final delivery. With the fielders drawn in, she drilled a shot back over the bowler’s head to seal an improbable win, finishing unbeaten on 63.
A Night of Missed Chances and Masterful Bowling
Earlier in the evening, MI struggled to find their rhythm against a disciplined RCB bowling attack. Lauren Bell set a suffocating tone early on, using late outswing to beat Amelia Kerr repeatedly. Bell’s clinical opening spell of 1 for 14 in four overs put MI on the back foot immediately. While Sajana (45) and debutant Nicola Carey (40) eventually found their flow to post a competitive 154, they were constantly pegged back by de Klerk, who finished with stellar figures of 4 for 26.
Mumbai Indians will look back at the 19th over as the moment the game slipped through their fingers. Multiple fielding lapses, including a dropped catch by Sciver-Brunt and a fumbled run-out opportunity by G Kamalini, gave de Klerk the lifelines she needed to stay at the crease. For MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur, it was a familiar feeling of heartbreak as a single individual brilliance turned a certain victory into a stinging defeat.
