By Even in their inaugural season in 2023, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s women’s team upheld their reputation, albeit not the most illustrious one, as a franchise boasting numerous star players who, despite their talent, failed to deliver the expected results.
Last season saw the emergence of two young cricketers, Shreyanka Patil and Kanika Ahuja, who made significant contributions. While RCB hopes for more young talents to shine this season, they will heavily rely on their international stars to secure victories and drive the team’s performance.
With much of the core playing and coaching staff retained, RCB has brought in Luke Williams, the former South Australian cricketer, as the head coach for this season. Williams has had success leading the Adelaide Strikers to a WBBL title and finishing as finalists twice, in addition to his role as assistant to Charlotte Edwards at Southern Brave. The question remains whether he can turn around the fortunes of a trophy-less franchise.
In the previous season, RCB finished second last, with just two wins from eight games, narrowly beating Gujarat Giants to fourth place on Net Run Rate.
In the mini-auction, RCB addressed several areas, retaining only 11 players from the previous year’s squad and acquiring seven new players, including some notable signings. Their most expensive purchase was veteran left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht for Rs 60 lakh. They also added Australian all-rounders Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham to their squad.
However, due to venue changes and player unavailability, RCB had to make adjustments to their squad, releasing Heather Knight and Kanika Ahuja. They bolstered their pace bowling department with the signings of seam-bowling all-rounder Nadine de Klerk and left-arm pacer Shraddha Pokharkar. Given the conditions in Bengaluru, where spinners may not have as much of an impact, these additions could play a crucial role.
RCB’s squad includes players like Smriti Mandhana, who will be a key player to watch. Mandhana had a below-par season last year, scoring only 149 runs at a strike rate of 111.19. She will need to rediscover her best form to lead RCB’s batting line-up effectively.
Injuries have also affected RCB, with Heather Knight withdrawing from the tournament and Kanika Ahuja ruled out due to injury, replaced by Shraddha Pokharkar.
Overall, RCB’s success will depend on the performances of their star players and how well they can overcome their weaknesses to compete effectively in the Women’s Premier League.
Best XI: Sophie Devine, Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh, Georgia Wareham, Nadine de Klerk/Kate Cross, Shreyanka Patil, Simran Bahadur, S Asha/Ekta Bisht, Renuka Thakur
