In the electric aftermath of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s thumping 9-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in Match 5 of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, 25-year-old South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk stole the spotlight at the post-match press conference.
“I Was Born for Moments Like That,” Nadine de Klerk After RCB’s Big Win
With skipper Smriti Mandhana’s side chasing down 144 in just 12.1 overs, thanks to Grace Harris’s explosive 85 off 40 and a clinical bowling effort, de Klerk reflected on her pivotal role, backing her skills amid RCB’s surge to the top of the points table with back-to-back wins and 4 points.
De Klerk’s contributions have been gold dust for RCB. In this clash on January 12, she returned stellar figures of 4-0-28-2, dismissing key Warriorz batters and helping restrict them to 143/5 after a powerplay stranglehold led by Lauren Bell (4-0-16-1). Her efforts complemented Shreyanka Patil’s 2/50, setting up the run fest where Mandhana and Harris’s 137-run stand demolished Deepti Sharma and Deandra Dottin’s gritty rescue act.
De Klerk’s form builds on her Match 1 heroics against the Mumbai Indians, where her unbeaten 63* (44 balls) off the back of 4/26 sealed a last-ball thriller, earning Player of the Match honours. Currently, she’s RCB’s leading wicket-taker and joint second in the tournament with 6 scalps at an average of 9 and economy of 6.75 across three innings.
At the presser, de Klerk unpacked her all-round blueprint with trademark candour. “Yeah, I think it’s probably just trying to back your skills, really, regardless of the conditions that you’re going to get,” she said, crediting her adaptability for suiting these pitches. “Not the quickest of bowlers, so just kind of mixing it up.” She praised bowling coach Anya Shrubsole for the clarity: her middle-to-death overs role, backed by team faith in plans, has yielded results despite cricket’s whims.
Her batting mindset shines as a finisher; a spot cemented under the new coach Malolan Rangarajan to deepen RCB’s lineup. “You don’t have much say in where you bat. I’ve just tried to make the best of the opportunity,” de Klerk noted, emphasising impact over position. This echoes her Match 1 rescue from 65/5, forging partnerships of 52 and 36* to chase 155. She thrives in the clutch: “I love pressure moments. I always joke and say I think I was born for moments like that, where you just never give up.”
Fitness underpins her dual threat, especially in a packed schedule. “It’s never easy, but I’ve always really tried to be really hard on myself, try and get to the gym every day,” she shared, stressing prehab, recovery, and mental steel for back-end battles with bat or ball. De Klerk hailed Lauren Bell’s powerplay mastery, “She’s been incredible. To bowl three overs in the power play on these sort of wickets is never an easy task,” as the spark for RCB’s low totals conceded in the powerplay this season.
When pressed on her favourite skill, the all-rounder’s passion burst through: “I think batting. I love hitting sixes. But yeah, I also enjoy taking wickets. So, it’s the beauty of being an all-rounder.” As RCB eyes sustained dominance, de Klerk’s blend of skill, grit, and joy positions her as the X-factor in their title charge.
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