We are inching closer to the upcoming 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which is now less than 10 days away. Since the tournament’s inception in 2023, it has continued to unearth the hidden gems of talent from the Indian domestic structure and, in turn, has expanded the pool of players waiting for their turn to represent India at the international level. The franchise tournament has also provided a platform for overseas stars to showcase their talent in front of massive crowds.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will enter the upcoming 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as the defending champions after Smriti Mandhana inspired her side to clinch the silverware, ending the franchise’s 16-year-long title drought in just their 2nd attempt. Their journey to glory is nothing short of an inspiration as they scripted a remarkable turnaround from finishing 4th in the points table in the inaugural edition to coming back and winning their maiden title by defeating Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets in the final.
In this article, we will dive deep into the strengths and areas of concern for Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they gear themselves up to defend their maiden title in WPL 2025.
Pre-season Updates:
The defending champions dealt with several blows in the form of multiple pre-season setbacks in the form of injury concerns to one of their premier overseas spinners, Sophie Molineux, who will miss the upcoming season due to a knee injury. The young 24-year-old bowling all-rounder from England Charlie Dean has replaced her in the squad.
The White Ferns ODI skipper Sophie Devine has also withdrawn her name for participation in the tournament, as she announced an indefinite break from cricket to focus on her well-being. The 28-year-old Australian all-rounder Heather Graham has replaced her in the squad for the new season ahead. She was also a part of the Mumbai Indians squad in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
The veteran 33-year-old pacer from England, Kate Cross, has ruled herself out of the tournament due to personal reasons. Notably, she was also out of action in the recently concluded 8th edition of the multi-format Women’s Ashes Down Under due to a back issue. The home side, Australia, outclassed their opposition to complete a thoroughly dominant show, which marked the historic first-ever Women’s Ashes multi-format whitewash (16-0). The experienced 28-year-old Australian bowling all-rounder Kim Garth has replaced her in the squad for the upcoming season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) WPL 2025 Auction picks:
Raghvi Bist: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 10 Lakhs
Joshitha VJ: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 10 Lakhs
Jagravi Pawar: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 10 Lakhs
Prema Rawat: Base Price: 10 Lakhs; Secured at 1.20 CR
SWOT analysis of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for WPL 2025:
Areas of concern:
Question marks on Ellyse Perry’s all-round availability:
The management would also be sweating over the availability of the veteran 34-year-old Australian legend Ellyse Perry as she suffered a hip injury on landing heavily, trying to save a boundary on the first day of the historic pink ball Test match at the MCG on 30th January 2025. Perry formed the pivotal member of the backbone of the RCB batting lineup in the previous edition.
She ended that season as not only the leading run-scorer for their side but also topped the tournament’s run-scoring charts with 347 runs at a decent strike rate of 125.72 and a staggering average of 69.40 in nine innings. Her tally of runs included a couple of half-centuries, with her best performance with the bat for RCB coming on 15th March 2024, when she scored a brilliant half-century (66 off 50 balls) against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator in Delhi.
Besides her exploits with the bat, she also etched her name in the history books en route to her breathtaking spell of 4-0-15-6 against the Mumbai Indians on 12th March 2024, which is the best-ever bowling figure in the history of WPL. The spell took her tournament’s wickets tally to seven at an average of 15.57 and an economy of 6.81 in seven innings with the ball for her side.
The onus on spin trio to deliver:
A knee injury in the last minute to Asha Sobhana ahead of India’s clash against Australia ended her maiden T20 World Cup campaign in the 9th edition of the tournament held in the United Arab Emirates. Notably, since India’s game against Sri Lanka on 9th October 2024, she hasn’t played a single competitive fixture. There is still no official clarity about her recovery process, laying a cloud of uncertainty over her availability in the upcoming edition.
Asha Sobhana was the 2nd highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 12 wickets at an impressive average of 15.41, and an economy of 7.11 in 10 innings with the ball for RCB last season. Her best performance with the ball in the tournament came on 24th February 2024, when she returned with sensational match figures of 4-0-22-5 against the UP Warriorz.
Shrayanka Patil edged past Sobhana to claim the purple cap with 13 wickets at an average of 12.07 and an economy of 7.30 in eight innings last season. Her best performance with the ball for RCB in the tournament came on 17th March 2024 (3.3-0-12-4) in her spell in the final against the Delhi Capitals. She suffered a finger injury in the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, and since then, she has also not played any competitive domestic matches.
Georgia Wareham picked up seven wickets at an economy of 8.23 in 10 innings. Her stocks have risen as a batter alongside her lethal capabilities with the ball in hand, she could play a crucial role for RCB in the absence of Sophie Molineux lower down the order.
Strengths and Opportunities:
Bist a missing piece of RCB’s top-order puzzle:
The young 20-year-old batting all-rounder Raghvi Bist made her way into the India team on the back of strong performances at the domestic level. She represented Uttarakhand at the domestic level and scored 158 runs at an impressive average of 31.60 and a strike rate of 129.50 in seven innings with the bat for her side in the tournament. Her best performance with the bat for Uttarakhand came on 28th October 2024 when she scored a brilliant half-century (72) at an outstanding strike rate of 205.71 against Arunachal Pradesh.
She was also the 2nd highest run-scorer for Team E and the 5th highest run-scorer of the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy with 162 runs at a strike rate of 120.89 and an impressive average of 40.50 in five innings. Her best performance with the bat for Team E in the tournament came against Team A when she scored a sensational half-century (71 off 51 balls) in the final of the tournament.
She scored 172 runs in six innings with the bat for Uttarakhand in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy and scored 27 runs in one innings for Team C in the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy. On the back of her performances in the domestic circuit, she made her international debut for India in a T20I on 17th December 2024 against the West Indies at the DY Patil Stadium. She has scored 36 runs at a strike rate of 120 in a couple of innings with the bat for India so far. She is all set to play a vital role for RCB in the middle order in the upcoming 3rd edition of the WPL from 14th February 2025.
Potent pace-bowling resources:
The addition of the likes of Australian all-rounders Kim Garth and Heather Graham have bolstered their pace-bowling resources for the upcoming 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). However, interestingly, both these players weren’t picked in the original mini-auction and have been added to the squad as replacements for the veteran pace bowler from England Kate Cross and the experienced White Ferns all-rounder Sophie Devine.
Kim Garth was very economical and impressive with the ball in the recently concluded 8th edition of the multi-format Women’s Ashes 2025, as she accounted for 9 wickets in seven innings. Besides her consistency with the ball, she can also chip in with handy runs lower down the order with the bat. She replaced Deandra Dottin in the Gujarat Giants set-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2023. She also picked up a five-wicket haul (4-0-36-5) in her spell against the UP Warriorz on 5th March 2023 at the DY Patil Stadium.
Heather Graham, on the other hand, was a part of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the inaugural edition. However, she didn’t debut for the franchise. Graham most recently represented Tasmania in the ongoing edition of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL). She has scored 217 runs at a strike rate of 88.93 and an average of 27.12 in eight innings with the bat for her side in the tournament so far. Her best performance with the bat for Tasmania came on 4th October 2024 against South Australia when she scored a brisk half-century (80 off 66 balls) at the Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide.
Besides her contributions with the bat, she also has picked up 9 wickets at an impressive economy of 4.25 in eight innings with the ball for her side in the tournament so far.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WPL 2025 Squad:
Smriti Mandhana (C), Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, Sabbhineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kanika Ahuja, Charlie Dean, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Shreyanka Patil, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Asha Sobhana, Ekta Bisht, Renuka Singh, and Georgia Wareham, Joshitha VJ, Jagravi Pawar, Prema Rawat
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WPL 2025 Fixtures:
February 14: Vs Gujarat Giants, Vadodara
February 17: Vs Delhi Capitals, Vadodara
February 21: Vs Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru
February 24: Vs UP Warriorz, Bengaluru
February 27: Vs Gujarat Giants, Bengaluru
March 1: Vs Delhi Capitals, Bengaluru
March 8: Vs UP Warriorz, Lucknow
March 11: Vs Mumbai Indians, Brabourne
March 13: Eliminator, Mumbai
March 15: Final, Mumbai
The Smriti Mandhana-led side will kick start their title defence in the 3rd edition on the opening day of the tournament on 14th February 2025 (Friday), against Gujarat Giants, from 7:30 PM IST at the Kotambi Stadium, in Vadodara.
Loves all things female cricket
Related Articles