The opener of the WPL between the Mumbai Indians & Royal Challengers Bengaluru was exactly what fans all over would have been hoping for. Intense, nail-biting & dramatic!
We have an analysis on G Kamalini, and a mini breakdown, more of a shoutout, rather, of the statistical marvel that is Nadine de Klerk. Have a read!
🔄️ Kamalini shows why she was retained
Mumbai Indians crawled to 34 for 1 in the powerplay, and it could have been far worse. Lauren Bell was clinical—three overs on the trot, seven runs, one wicket. At the other end, Linsey Smith started disastrously, bowling to the wrong match-up in G Kamalini and paying the price.
The only reason MI reached even 34 in the powerplay was Kamalini’s mini-blitz against Smith. Amelia Kerr managed 4 off 15. Nat Sciver-Brunt was 4 off 2 at the end of the sixth over. Kamalini got 25 off 19, looking mostly comfortable at the crease.
In her limited competitive cricket career so far, Kamalini has shown one clear strength: she’s excellent through the offside. From cover to backward point, she has good hands, solid front foot play, and powerful backfoot punches. The numbers back it up.
Against length balls on off stump, Kamalini strikes at 250. Shift that line to the middle stump, and she still strikes at 166.7. It was brutally evident in Smith’s spell. Smith came around the wicket, bowled flat half-trackers with no turn on off stump, and got dispatched repeatedly. Kamalini feasted.
Now compare that to Shreyanka Patil—or any bowler with rhythm and a plan—who was smarter. Bowl outside off at a good length, and Kamalini’s strike rate plummets to 66.7.
Two factors explain the drop.
- First, the lack of easy scoring options. With boundary riders positioned well and in-fielders cutting off the single on the off side, Kamalini was forced to look beyond her comfort zone—her usual drives and cuts—to find runs.
- Second, inexperience pushed her toward riskier options. She tried the slog to manufacture a boundary, which eventually led to her dismissal. It didn’t help that Patil bowled slower, enticing Kamalini into sweeps she wasn’t comfortable playing.
Her innings read like two separate batters: one who dismantled Linsey Smith with authority, and one who managed just a single boundary against everyone else.
Yet despite that split, Kamalini showed exactly why she will be crucial for the Mumbai Indians & why she was even retained.
Amelia Kerr’s balls-per-boundary ratio is a subpar 7.2. In situations where Nat Sciver-Brunt departs early, MI need someone who can not only build an innings but also push the tempo. Kamalini is that package, with the added advantage of being a left-hander.
Ending with 32 off 28 might not look impressive on the scorecard. But in the context of a powerplay that crawled at under six runs per over, Kamalini holding her end and scoring at more than run-a-ball was vital. It allowed MI to eventually capitalise on RCB’s bowling-change mistakes and post a competitive total.
Kamalini has the tools. The offside game is there. The intent is there. What she needs now is the experience to know when to play her strengths and when to absorb pressure without forcing risky shots.
🤯 De Klerk CLUTCHES it for RCB
Well. This is awkward. Totally thought RCB was going to bottle that. Horrible selections, horrible bowler rotation, dropped catches; everything was going against them.
But there was also everything from the goddess of clutch moments, Nadine De Klerk.
Going into this WPL, RCB had a big gaping hole in the form of Ellyse Perry’s absence. And it showed too. First, with a solid position with the ball being thrown away. Second, the batting never really taking off.
After a solid powerplay that yielded 57 runs for the loss of 2 wickets, they felt Perry’s absence, losing all semblance in the middle overs, with 3 wickets falling for 8 runs. Their win percentage dropped from 56.05% to 13.69% in this period.
Yet, if her bowling performance of 4 for 26 with those brilliant off cutters was not enough, Nadine de Klerk CLUTCHED it with the bat. A script Harman Kaur was familiar with. A monster everyone knew could be unleashed, but a monster that not even the experienced Nat Sciver Brunt could tame.
Nothing much to analyse here, except for how Nat Sciver Brunt messed up her line on the off cutters she banged into the pitch, allowing de Klerk the opportunity to tonk a couple and seal the game off the last ball, holding her nerves under pressure exceptionally well.
What a start to the WPL this is 😵💫
Data from Women’s T20 Batting App using Himanish Ganjoo’s T20 cricket BBB database up until October 2025 & Cricket By JB’s WPL analyses.
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