Navi Mumbai, Jan 9 (NationPress) Sajeevan Sajana led the charge with a striking 45 runs off just 25 deliveries, capitalizing on being dropped on two occasions early in the innings, as Mumbai Indians (MI) set a challenging total of 154/6 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the inaugural match of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium on Friday.

The pitch proved tricky, and incisive opening spells from Lauren Bell, Linsey, and Nadine de Klerk had MI struggling at 67/4 after 11 overs. However, Sajana's impressive 82-run partnership off 49 balls with Nicola Carey (40) propelled them past the 150-mark. Nadine’s excellent bowling performance of 4-22 puts RCB in a position to chase, needing 155 runs to win, aided by the dew expected later on.

Lauren made a remarkable start, giving RCB an early advantage. The England pacer bowled a brilliant maiden over and consistently troubled Amelia Kerr with outswingers before finally getting her out for a mere four runs off 15 balls.

Lauren’s short-of-length delivery outside off-stump prompted a mistimed shot from Amelia, resulting in a catch at extra cover. G. Kamalini kept MI afloat with two boundaries off Linsey Smith, followed by another four off Lauren.

Linsey’s return saw Kamalini swiftly pull and sweep for boundaries, accumulating 13 runs in the last Power-play over. RCB made a critical breakthrough when Richa Ghosh stumped Nat Sciver-Brunt for just four runs.

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur tried to stabilize the innings with a boundary through midwicket and another over extra cover, but Shreyanka Patil struck back on her WPL return, bowling Kamalini for 32 runs.

Harmanpreet’s dismissal added pressure on MI as she edged a delivery from Nadine outside off-stump while attempting a cover drive. RCB could have claimed another wicket had Dayalan Hemalatha and substitute Sayali Satghare not dropped Sajana’s catch.

The missed opportunities proved costly, as Sajana launched a counterattack with big shots off Radha Yadav for six and four runs, while Nicola added another boundary. Sajana continued her assault, pulling and lofting Arundhati Reddy for two consecutive fours.

Despite Nadine's return, Sajana unleashed a flurry of boundaries, and Nicola reverse-swept for four before hitting another over Arundhati’s head. However, both Sajana and Nicola fell in the final over to Nadine, yet MI crossed the 150-run mark.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 154/6 in 20 overs (Sajeevan Sajana 45, Nicola Carey 40; Nadine de Klerk 4-26, Lauren Bell 1-14) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru