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.
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.
