The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women had little to spend and lots to acquire at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 mega auction. After retaining four players for INR 8.85 crore, RCB had to try their best to recreate another champion team and attempt to recreate the 2024 heroics.
Is middle-order batting a concern?
To begin with, RCB needed an opener to pair with Smriti Mandhana. They’ve bought Australia’s Georgia Voll with Dayalan Hemalatha and Gautami Naik as her backup. Ellyse Perry will bat number three. But that’s where the issue begins. They have no solid pick for number four or five.
Ideally, RCB would like Richa Ghosh at number six. But they haven’t gotten many middle-order bats. Pratyoosha Kumar, Grace Harris and Naik are the potential options.
Harris isn’t a middle-order batter but a lower-order hitter. RCB can try to move Hemalatha or Naik to four or five, but they aren’t suited for those spots as top-order batters. Although Pratyoosha’s a middle-order batter, she’s an unproven commodity.
No issues in bowling
RCB have picked just two frontline fast bowlers and have three pace all-rounders. This gives them great depth and variety. But there might be a middle and death bowling issue. Harris, Nadine de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy would have to be trusted and might also do the trick. Powerplay bowling won’t be an issue with Perry, Pooja Vastrakar and Lauren Bell there.
Despite releasing Asha Sobhana, RCB have managed to assemble a great spin bowling lineup. They retained Shreyanka Patil and bought back Prema Rawat. They also got two left-arm spinners, Radha Yadav and Linsey Smith. The latter can operate well in the power play. They can also go back to Naik for some off-spin.
All in all, one might give RCB a solid 8.5 out of 10. They have ticked most of the boxes. They have solid backups and variety. If the top order clicks, all might go well for them.
RCB squad for WPL 2026
Batters: Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll✈️, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pratyoosha Kumar (wk)
All-rounders: Ellyse Perry✈️, Pooja Vastrakar, Nadine de Klerk✈️, Grace Harris✈️, Dayalan Hemalatha, Gautami Naik
Bowlers: Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Linsey Smith✈️, Lauren Bell✈️, Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat
