In the aftermath of the Mumbai Indians’ heartbreaking three-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League 2026 curtain-raiser at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, head coach Lisa Keightley addressed the media with characteristic candour.
The two-time champions posted 154/6 after Smriti Mandhana opted to bowl first, but Nadine de Klerk’s match-winning all-round heroics, including a maiden WPL half-century of 63* off 44 balls, sealed a heist for RCB. Keightley highlighted positives amid the pain, praising debutant Gunalan Kamalini’s promise while urging a swift bounce-back ahead of their clash against the Delhi Capitals.
Keightley didn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the low-scoring thriller. Lauren Bell’s maiden over on debut and probing lines set a tone that strangled MI early, while dew played spoilsport later. “It was definitely under par,” Keightley admitted. “I think it looked quite hard to bat early, and Lauren Bell (4-1-14-1) bowled extremely well in those conditions. But to get to the score we probably did was good, and if we could have got another 10 off the last over, you know, could have been a little bit different, the dropped catches really hurt us in the long run.”
Despite the heartbreak, MI’s bowlers fought valiantly with a wet ball, keeping RCB to the wire until de Klerk’s composure prevailed. Amelia Kerr’s 2/13 and Nicola Carey’s gritty 40 off 29 balls offered glimmers, but execution faltered in the final over from Nat Sciver-Brunt. “We’ve trained every night in the evening and made sure we bowled late so we could practice bowling with the wet ball,” Keightley noted. “We only had a small amount of runs on the board, so to bowl in these conditions with the dew, I think they did extremely well.”
Keightley reserved special praise for 17-year-old opener Gunalan Kamalini, whose 32 off 28 balls, with five boundaries, anchored MI with a blistering start amid tough conditions. “She’s an extremely talented left-handed batter, to go out today and bat in those conditions, I thought she did extremely well for her first hit out,” the coach enthused. “I see her having a great tournament. She’s a great kid. She’s really good around the group. She’s got that care-free attitude at the moment as a 17-year-old does.”
Looking ahead, Keightley confirmed Hayley Matthews sat out with a minor shoulder strain but remains close to returning, fueling optimism for MI’s redemption against Delhi Capitals. “It’s the first game, we fought well, we were competitive. We’ll have to bounce back tomorrow, and we know the conditions, we know what we’re going to get, tighten up in a few areas and go again.” With Harmanpreet Kaur’s side already scripting a 50-run win over DC the next day, Keightley’s words rang true: resilience defines champions.
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