NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Nadine de Klerk admitted that the significance of their nail-biting three-wicket win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the Women's Premier League had yet to sink in. She said trusting her own game plan proved crucial as she delivered a decisive all-round performance in a high-octane contest.

The experienced South African first made her mark with the ball, producing an excellent spell of 4 for 26 to keep Mumbai Indians in check at 154 for six. De Klerk then held her nerve in a tense chase, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 63 from 44 deliveries to guide RCB home off the final ball and claim the player-of-the-match honours.

"It is probably going to take a couple of days. If it is your day, you have to ensure you cash in. Glad to get the win," said de Klerk, when asked if the feeling had sunk in.

De Klerk explained that she kept her bowling approach simple, focusing on the fundamentals, and that clarity allowed her to get the best results.

"Just about coming in and backing your skills, and executing. Just sticking to my strengths... sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it does not. On these grounds, on these batting wickets, you just need to cash in."

While batting, she said she wanted the maximum strike for maximum impact.

"Towards the back end, I was thinking of taking a bulk of the strike. Couple of important partnerships. Arundhati (Reddy, 20 runs) batted beautifully. A couple of boundaries (by Prema Rawat - 8 not out) were also very important."

RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana said her team was known to come back from the brink.

"It was a thriller. RCB are known for thrillers, and brilliant from Nadine (to win us this game). Everyone was very positive, even when things were not going well. Nadine did all the work for us in the batting and bowling department," said Mandhana.

MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said her bowlers were lacking on the day.

"We just did not bowl one good ball. This happens. We gave her (de Klerk) chances and sometimes, batters come with strong mindset. We missed those chances.

"In WPL, we always get matches like that. We need to think what better we can do in the next match," she added.

(With PTI Inputs)