The season’s Women’s Premier League got off to a sensational start in Mumbai on Friday when Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians in a thrilling last-ball victory with South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk smashing 20 runs in the last over.
De Klerk RCB to 157-7 for a three-wicket victory with an undefeated 63 that came off 44 balls with two sixes and seven fours, as RCB chased down MI’s 154-6 at the DY Patil Stadium.
De Klerk took 4-26 in the MI innings and won player-of-the-match award. After the game De Klerk said, “If it is your day, you have to ensure you cash in.”
RCB opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
MI lost early wickets and fell to 67-4 before Nicola Carey (40) and Sajeevan Sajana (45) put up a fifth-wicket partnership of 82 in just 49 deliveries, lifting them to 154-6.
Smriti Mandhana and Grace Harris matched each other stroke for stroke as RCB got off to a fiery start. Before Shabnim Ismail dismissed Mandhana for 18, they raced to 40 after taking 11 off Nat Sciver-Brunt’s first over and 20 off her third.
After RCB fell to 65-5 in the eighth over, De Klerk and Arundhati Reddy revived the chase, adding 52 to put them within 38 runs of the target. It appeared to be a challenging ask for RCB as Carey came back to grab two wickets in the 17th over.
Needing 18 off the final over bowled by Sciver-Brunt, De Klerk failed to score off the first two deliveries.
The third ball was launched over long-off for six, and she followed it up by drilling the next behind square for four. With eight required from the final two balls, De Klerk slog-swept the fifth over midwicket for another six before hammering the last delivery straight back over the bowler’s head to seal a dramatic win.
