Carey shines on WPL bow but eclipsed by epic de Klerk

Australian allrounder Nicola Carey has made a striking debut in the Women's Premier League but was eclipsed by Nadine de Klerk's performance for the ages in a thrilling launch of the Indian league's fourth edition in Mumbai.

South African de Klerk, needing 18 off four balls at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday to give the visiting Royal Challengers Bengaluru victory over the champion Mumbai Indians, pulled off a glorious heist to earn a last-ball, three-wicket win.

Her improbable 6, 4, 6, 4 salvo off England star Nat Sciver-Brunt sealed the greatest all-round display in WPL annals after medium pacer de Klerk had earlier also taken 4-26 to keep Mumbai down to 6-154.

It also eclipsed a terrific WPL bow for Carey in her first outing since she hit the winning runs for Hobart in December's Weber WBBL|11 final.

Again demonstrating why there's a clamour to have the 32-year-old back in the international fold more than two years after she rejected a national contract, Carey hit 40 off 29 to prop up Mumbai's faltering knock, took two key wickets (2-35) and plucked a stunning boundary-edge catch.  

It looked as if her efforts would win the day but de Klerk turned the match on its head with her match-winning 63no off 44 balls.

She'd come in at 4-63 and watched helplessly as RCB plunged to 7-121, with 34 still needed off three overs.

The equation became 18 off six and de Klerk couldn't land a big blow off either of the first two balls, so decided against running a single, knowing it was all down to her.

But England's captain Sciver-Brunt couldn't nail her yorkers and de Klerk then launched a thunderous six over long-off, swivelled to hit a four behind square, and hoiked another maximum over deep midwicket to make it two needed off the final ball.

Rather than going for the single to guarantee a Super Over, she bludgeoned the death ball back over Sciver-Brunt's head. "Outstanding!" beamed her Aussie teammate Grace Harris.  

De Klerk is one of the RCB stars asked to step up in the absence of Ellyse Perry, who's pulled out of this season's WPL for "personal reasons", but the Aussie superstar sent a message on social media to encourage her old teammates.

Mumbai skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had been here before, suffering a similar defeat as India captain at de Klerk's hands during the World Cup group stages in October, but she could only lament: "We just needed one good ball in the last over."

Harris, who missed the World Cup with injury, was surprised to be shoved at the top of the order but looked sharp as she launched RCB's reply with a quickfire 25 off 12 balls.

That included hitting Carey for six in an over which went for 20 – the one blot on her fine display.

WPL 2026 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women RCB	1	1	0	0	0	0.15	0	2
2 Delhi Capitals Women DEL	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3 Gujarat Giants GUJ	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4 UP Warriorz UPW	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5 Mumbai Indians Women MI	1	0	1	0	0	-0.15	0	0

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points