Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (WPL) 2026 season is getting better and better. After flying through the league stage without one of their biggest Indian match-winners, RCB have received a boost ahead of the playoffs with Pooja Vastrakar rejoining the squad in Vadodara. The all-rounder, signed for Rs 85 lakh at the auction, is now fully fit and in line to make her first appearance of WPL 2026.
When the season began on January 10, the absence of Vastrakar forced RCB into patchwork solutions. England spinner Linsey Smith opened the bowling, Arundhati Reddy took the new ball alongside Lauren Bell and Nadine de Klerk ended up doing the heavy lifting in the opener with a rare four-for and a match-winning fifty. It worked, but it was never the long-term plan.
Vastrakar was supposed to be that plan. After spending months at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined her since October 2024, she was close to full fitness when a late hamstring tweak ruled her out of at least the first two weeks of the tournament. RCB knew the risk when they went big for her at the auction. They waited. Now the payoff might arrive at the perfect time.
Terrific RCB eye 2nd WPL title
RCB have already sealed a playoff spot with a flawless five-from-five run, including a 61-run demolition of Gujarat Giants where Gautami Naik’s 73 and Sayali Satghare’s 3/21 showed their depth. Smriti Mandhana’s side sit comfortably on top with 10 points, and upcoming matches against Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and UP Warriorz could see Pooja represent RCB for the first time.
The WPL 2024 champions have found different match winners in different games, with five separate players winning POTM awards in all five games. Can Pooja Vastrakar join the list after coming back from her injury? Note, RCB are already without Ellyse Perry this season after she ruled herself out due to personal reasons.
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