An all-rounder, Nadine de Klerk, performed outstandingly and led the team to victory over the defending champions, the Mumbai Indians, by three wickets with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League opener on Friday. The superb bowling of the 25-year-old, with a haul of 4 for 26, limited MI to 154 for 6 after RCB chose to field first.
De Klerk then led the team to a dramatic chase victory with an unbeaten 63 off 44 balls that included seven fours and two sixes. Her powerful batting not only gained RCB’s victory in this thriller but also turned the match around completely during the critical run chase.
RCB beat MI by 3 wickets
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru staged a thrilling comeback to chase down 155, with Nadine de Klerk posting the final blow. Needing 18 runs from the last over at 137 for 7, de Klerk hit a six and four off consecutive balls before hitting another six off the second last ball. She finished the dramatic victory with a four off the last ball from Nat Sciver-Brunt, scoring 63 not out as RCB made 157 for 7. Nonetheless, the RCB’s chase was characterized by a batting collapse.
After opening batsmen Smriti Mandhana (18) and Grace Harris (25) gave them a great start—charging to 47 for 2 after 5 overs—the middle order collapsed in a very dramatic manner. They lost three quick wickets in 2.4 overs to fall to 65 for 5, with Dayalan Hemalatha, Richa Ghosh, and Radha Yadav getting out for low scores. The partnership between de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy (20) played a critical role in the recovery of the innings.
Before, Sajeevan Sajana’s powerful 45 off 25 balls, including seven fours and a six, sent Mumbai Indians’ innings back to life after they lost their way at 67 for 4. The partnership of 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Nicola Carey (40) was the main reason MI reached 154 for 6. De Klerk’s brilliant bowling of 4 for 26 played a big role in limiting MI’s total, with Lauren Bell and Shreyanka Patil also taking one wicket each. Gunalan Kamalini was the leading scorer with 32, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur made 20.
