WPL 2026: ‘RCB are known to play thrillers’ - Smriti Mandhana delighted after last-ball win over Mumbai Indians

Following the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's nail-biting win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening encounter of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, skipper Smriti Mandhana expressed

her delight. She was relieved after losing many such close encounters in the 2025 season, where the Bengaluru-based franchise failed to defend the title.

It was a high-octane tournament opener in the 2026 season, with a virtual face-off between two of India’s biggest women cricketers, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, and it did not disappoint at all. The match went right down to the last ball as the RCB successfully chased down 18 runs off their final over, thanks to Nadine de Klerk. And the RCB captain could not hide her happiness after the thrilling win. 

"I think for the first match of the WPL, it was a thriller. And RCB are known to play thrillers. 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. Everyone was pretty positive. We were having a laugh. Even when things were not going well, everyone was pretty positive," said Mandhana at the post-match party. 

While praising the South African all-rounder, she opened up about what the conversations were like in the dugout during the tense moments. The skipper further said that she had a belief in de Klerk's finishing abilities, while referring to the cricketer's heroics in Visakhapatnam against India during the league stage game of the ODI World Cup 2025. 

"Yeah, we saw that in Visakhapatnam when she played that innings against us (during the World Cup). And I was just telling our head coach, Malolan [Rangarajan], that I think we were in a similar situation against South Africa in the World Cup match, and she pulled it off. And I think 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," she added.

It was a one-woman show against the defending champions in the opening clash of the WPL 2026. While chasing a target of 155, RCB required 18 runs off the final over, de Klerk showed nerves of steel, finishing the match on the final ball. She remained unbeaten, scoring 63 off just 44, while also picking up four wickets during the first innings, also deservingly being adjudged the Player of the Match.