South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk impressed against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the first match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. He left a mark with ball and bat. Clerk, part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), played a brilliant half-century after taking four wickets for 26 runs. Chasing the target of 155 at the DY Patil Stadium, he scored unbeaten 63 runs in 44 balls, which included seven fours and two sixes. RCB needed 18 runs in the last over. In such a situation, Clerk made RCB cross the threshold of victory by hitting two fours and two sixes. She was adjudged player of the match. However, the clerk confessed a bitter truth after snatching the win from the jaws of Mumbai.
‘I was lucky to have some opportunities…’
“Maybe it will take some time to understand this feeling,” Clerk said after receiving the Player of the Match award. I think when your day comes in cricket you have to make sure you make the most of it. I was lucky that some opportunities went in my favor. Glad we were able to win. It’s always good to start with a win.” On his bowling, he said, ”I think it’s just about trusting my skills and applying them properly. I think we started very well with Bell and the other bowlers in the powerplay. I think Bell bowled very brilliantly. I just stuck to my strengths. Sometimes it goes in your favor and sometimes not.”
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‘To be honest, I…’
The all-rounder was a bit disappointed at the beginning of the innings. She said, “To be honest, I was probably a little frustrated at the beginning of my innings. Cricket is a strange game. You just have to stay in the fight. A never-say-die mentality is required, especially in T20 cricket. We know that these grounds are very good for batting. No big boundaries here. In such a situation, you know that you can take advantage of it. It was just about giving myself a chance and luckily it worked out. In the end I was thinking about keeping most of the strikes to myself. Some very important partnerships were formed. Arundhati Reddy batted well and Prema reduced the pressure by hitting some boundaries, which made it easier. In the last over, my entire focus was on winning the match.
