WPL: Nadine de Klerk helps RCB steal a win in last-ball thriller

NAVI MUMBAI: Nat Sciver-Brunt dropped Nadine de Klerk off the first ball of the 19th over. The South African got another reprieve three balls later when she was dropped on the mid-wicket boundary and then G Kamalini missed a run-out. She cashed in on the chances that the Mumbai Indians gave her, hit 20 runs off the last 4 balls bowled by SciverBrunt, and took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a thrilling threewicket win in the WPL opener at the DY Patil Stadium on Friday.De Klerk, who put in a similar effort to take South Africa to victory in a World Cup group game over India, stayed unbeaten on 63 off 44 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes. She came to the crease at 63/4, when RCB were losing wickets in a jiffy, and shared a crucial partnership with Arundhati Reddy to steady the RCB innings, then gave the finishing touches with her lusty hitting.RCB were off to a flying start, reaching 40/0 by the third over, and it looked like they would overhaul the target of 155 with ease. But they lost their way thereafter, losing five wickets in 24 balls to hand the advantage to the defending champions, who could not close out the match.Earlier, de Klerk took 4/26 to help RCB pin down MI. Only a 49-ball 82-run stand for the fifth wicket between S Sajana and Nicola Carey helped MI post a fighting total. Sajana, who was dropped twice, made full use of the reprieve and counter-attacked the RCB bowlers. Carey joined her with some cheeky shots, and by the time both headed back to the dugout in the last over, MI had a fighting total on board.Sajana scored a 25-ball 45 with the help of seven fours and a six, while Carey’s knock of 40 came in 29 balls and was laced with four boundaries.RCB’s bowling effort was led by Lauren Bell. The England right-arm pacer was making her debut in the competition but showed no nerves as she settled into her rhythm from the first ball. Bell did not allow MI openers Amelia Kerr, promoted with unwell Hayley Mathews sitting out, and G Kamalini any room to free their arms. In fact, she conceded just one run in the first 14 balls of her spell. She finished with 1/14 and bowled 19 dot balls, which was the joint second-most in the history of the competition behind Shabnam Ismail’s 20 dots for MI against Gujarat Giants in the last edition.