Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Women kicked off their Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 season with a heart-stopping victory, defeating defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by three wickets in a last-over thriller at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday. The match, a highly anticipated clash between Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, lived up to its billing, with South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk delivering a Player of the Match performance.
Mandhana's Relief as RCB Turns the Tables
An elated RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana expressed her happiness at finally being on the winning side of a close encounter. "I think for the first match of the WPL, it was a thriller. And RCB are known to play thrillers," Mandhana said during the post-match presentation. She reflected on the previous season's narrow losses, adding, "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."
Mandhana also recalled de Klerk's heroics for South Africa against India in the 2022 World Cup in Visakhapatnam, where she snatched a win from a similar precarious position. This memory gave the team hope even after de Klerk was dropped by Nat Sciver-Brunt during her innings. "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," Mandhana revealed.
De Klerk's 'Never Give Up' Mentality Seals the Win
Nadine de Klerk etched her name in WPL history with a spectacular all-round display. Her figures of 4/26 with the ball restricted MI, and her unbeaten 63 off 44 balls, including seven fours and two sixes, guided RCB's chase. She became only the second player in WPL history, after Deepti Sharma, to score a fifty and take four wickets in a match.
De Klerk admitted to a slow start with the bat, being 7 off 12 balls at one stage, but emphasized a resilient mindset. "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... you just have to stay in the fight. I guess it's just a massive mentality thing; never give up," she stated. Her acceleration was crucial, scoring 56 runs off her next 32 deliveries.
A Roller-Coaster Match Summary
After winning the toss and electing to field, RCB bowlers, led by de Klerk and England's Lauren Bell (1/14), had MI in trouble at 67/4. However, a brilliant 82-run partnership between Sajeevan Sajana (45 off 25 balls) and Nicola Carey (40 off 29) propelled the defending champions to a competitive total of 154/6 in their 20 overs.
In reply, RCB's chase had ebbs and flows. A quickfire 40-run opening stand between Smriti Mandhana (18 off 13) and Grace Harris (25 off 12) provided a solid start. However, MI's Amelia Kerr (2/13) triggered a collapse, reducing RCB to 65/5. The game seemed to slip away before de Klerk found an able partner in Arundhati Reddy (20 off 25) for a 52-run stand. The equation came down to 18 runs needed off the final over bowled by Nat Sciver-Brunt. After two dot balls, de Klerk unleashed her power, hitting the next four deliveries for 6, 4, 6, and 4 to seal a memorable victory for the Bengaluru franchise, with Prema Rawat (8*) at the non-striker's end.
