The WPL 2026 is only three days away, and Smriti Mandhana-led RCB is all set to take on MI in the tournament opener, on JAN 9 in Navi Mumbai. There are a lot of expectations from team, as one-time winners, but have been met by early blow. Their premium all-rounder Ellyse Perry has pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons. That could potentially hurt hem in the coming days. Nonetheless, Sayali Satghare has come in as a replamcement.
But the bigger question is, what could be best XI from RCB in WPL 2026?
Injury concerns
Perry out, and the team has come up with another fast-bowling all-rounder. But then, barring that, one doesn’t know the status of Shreyanka Patil and Pooja Vastrakar. Both are injury-prone and haven’t played for India in a while. Then, their match fitness could also be a concern.
Too much reliance on foreign stars?
As is the norm, each team can field only four foreign players, RCB could have a tough time picking theirs. There is no Perry, and still there is a choice to make between Voll, Harris, de Klerk, and Lauren Bell. That does not make the task easy for Mandhana and the management.
RCB strongest playing XI
| S. No. | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smriti Mandhana | Batter |
| 2 | Georgia Voll | Batter |
| 3 | D Heamalatha | Batter |
| 4 | Richa Ghosh | Keeper |
| 5 | Grace Harris | All-rounder |
| 6 | Nadine de Klerk | All-rounder |
| 7 | Pooja Vastrakar | All-rounder |
| 8 | Shreyanka Patil | Bowler |
| 9 | Radha Yadav | Bowler |
| 10 | Linsey Smith | Bowler |
| 11 | Arundhati Reddy | Bowler |
RCB full squad: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav, Nadine de Klerk, Georgia Voll, Linsey Smith, Dayalan Hemalatha, Prema Rawat, Gautami Nayak, Prathyoosha Kumar, Sayali Satghare.
