Captain Smriti Mandhana shared her happiness after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s thrilling victory over reigning champions Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 opening match. After the Bengaluru-based team lost a number of these close games in the 2025 season and was unable to defend the crown, she was relieved.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, two of India’s top women cricket players, faced off virtually in the 2026 season’s high-octane tournament opening, and it was an absolute triumph. Thanks to Nadine de Klerk, the RCB was able to successfully chase down 18 runs off their penultimate over as the contest came down to the very last ball. And following the exciting victory, the RCB skipper was unable to conceal her joy.
“I think it was a thriller for the WPL’s opening game. RCB also has a reputation for playing thrilling games. We were the ones receiving these matches last year, and we were thrilled that we managed to pull it together. Nadine’s decision to end the contest in that manner was brilliant. Everyone was generally optimistic. We were laughing together.
At the post-match celebration, Mandhana remarked, “Even when things weren’t going well, everyone was pretty positive.”
She talked candidly about the heated discussions that took place in the dugout while praising the South African all-rounder. Referencing the cricket player’s exploits in Visakhapatnam against India during the league stage match of the ODI World Cup 2025, the captain went on to say that she believed in de Klerk’s finishing powers.
Yes, when she played her innings against us (at the World Cup) in Visakhapatnam, we witnessed that. And I just told Malolan [Rangarajan], our head coach, that I believe we were in a similar circumstance during the World Cup match against South Africa, and she did a fantastic job. I believe we simply stated that Sajana scored runs when we dropped her, so let’s hope she hits two sixes. She said, “And she really got them.
In the first match of the 2026 WPL, it was a one-woman show against the reigning champs. De Klerk displayed steely nerves by ending the match on the final ball while RCB needed 18 runs off the final over to chase a score of 155. Despite taking four wickets in the first innings and scoring 63 off just 44, she was still undefeated and deservedly won Player of the Match.
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