the fourth season of women’s premier league 2026 Ignite with a high-stakes clash between the defending champions Mumbai Indians And Royal Challengers Bangalore At DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Smriti Mandhana Won the toss and elected to field, citing the possible impact of dew late in the evening. England‘S lauren bell He made his RCB debut and immediately looked home, seeing pace that troubled the world-class MI batting order. Whereas Gunalan Kamalini After showing early aggression with some fast drives, the focus quickly turned to an intense battle between Bell and amelia kerr,
Lauren Bell makes RCB debut by dismissing Amelia Kerr to take the first wicket of WPL 2026
The first breakthrough of WPL 2026 came from RCB debutant Lauren Bell, who made a dream start by dismissing the dangerous Kerr for just 4 runs off 15 balls. Kerr found herself in the record books for the wrong reasons, setting a new WPL record for the slowest start by an opening batsman, taking 11 deliveries to get past the target.
Throughout her stay at the crease, Kerr looked completely at odds against Bell’s extraordinary incoming pace and extra bounce, playing and missing eight of the 11 balls bowled by the tall English fast bowler. The dismissal eventually came in the 5th over when Kerr tried to swipe a hard-length delivery across the line, only to get a leading edge which flew straight Arundhati Reddy On additional cover. Bell’s clinical opening spell, which included a maiden over and figures of 1/7 in his first three overs, left Mumbai Indians reeling and proved that RCB’s new foreign recruit is a perfect fit for the bouncy Navi Mumbai track.
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WPL 2026: Late surge takes MI to 154 as RCB bowlers keep openers well prepared
Mumbai recovered from early setbacks and a wobble in the middle stages to post a competitive total of 154/6 against Bengaluru in the opening match of the WPL 2026 in Navi Mumbai, a total built on a strong finish rather than a slow start.
Asked to bat first, MI struggled for momentum in the powerplay, managing only 34 runs and losing Kerr early. Nat Sciver-Brunt And Harmanpreet Kaur A rapid decline followed leaving them in search of stability. That stability came through a measured rebuilding under Kamalini’s leadership, followed by a decisive upturn Nicola Carey And living up to lifeWhose fifth wicket partnership changed the momentum of the innings.
Carey played the anchor role, scoring a controlled 40 off 29 balls, while Sajna attacked the spinners and pace equally, scoring 45 off just 25 balls, which included seven fours and a six. 54 runs were scored in the last five overs, allowing MI to cross the 150 mark despite losing late wickets. However, the RCB bowlers ensured that the damage was prevented Nadine de Klerk Emerging as the best player with four wickets for 26 runs, MI struck again and again amid fears of separation. Bell performed impressively with the new ball, giving only 14 runs in his four overs and setting the tone right from the start. Shreyanka Patil Achieved an important success.
See also: Ellyse Perry pays emotional tribute to RCB ahead of WPL 2026 clash with Mumbai Indians
This article was first published here WomenCricket.comA Cricket Times Company.
