3 RCB players who might not get a single game in WPL 2024
With the venues being shifted away from Mumbai this time around, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are all set to commence their 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign in front of their home crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Smriti Mandhana and company will take on the UP Warriorz (UPW) on Saturday, February 24, as they attempt to secure playoff qualification after missing out during the inaugural edition. They bolstered their squad at the WPL 2024 auction, but a couple of withdrawals have affected their chances.
RCB's squad for WPL 2024: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Indrani Roy, Shradda Pokharkar, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, S Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux, Nadine de Klerk.
Nevertheless, Bangalore have tons of ability on their roster. And that means that a couple of names will unfortunately be restricted to the bench for most - if not all - of the ongoing season.
Here are three RCB players who might not get a single game in WPL 2024.
#3 Shubha Satheesh
Following her fifty on her Test debut against England, Shubha Satheesh found a taker at the WPL 2024 auction as RCB snapped her up quickly. The classy left-handed batter is a player to watch out for, but she might not be in the thick of things during the season.
Satheesh's game is well-suited to the longer formats, but she might not have the power game needed to make an impact in T20s. And with Smriti Mandhana and Sophie Devine occupying the two opening slots, she might struggle to fit into the middle order as well.
Satheesh is a quality player who is bound to make herself a regular at this level soon, but the 2024 campaign might see her spending time on the bench.
#2 Disha Kasat
Another consistent domestic performer who hasn't been able to make the step up yet, Disha Kasat featured in a few games for RCB in WPL 2023 without any tangible returns. While she is slowly improving as a T20 batter, she might be behind others in the pecking order this year.
Knowing that they needed to beef up their domestic batting options, Bangalore secured the services of S Meghana at the WPL 2024 auction. Following Kanika Ahuja's injury, the former Gujarat Giants (GG) right-hander is expected to slot into the middle order.
Kasat might thus have to wait for her turn, and given the likelihood of Meghana producing returns, she might not get too many opportunities to impress.
#1 Sophie Molineux
Sophie Molineux was a surprise pick by RCB at the WPL 2024 auction. The Aussie all-rounder has been in good form in domestic cricket lately but doesn't even represent the country regularly in the white-ball formats.
Molineux brings all-round ability to the table, but RCB have other names to call upon from their domestic department. Ekta Bisht is arguably the best left-arm spinner India have and should be an integral part of the team's spin attack in the tournament.
While Molineux's batting could be useful, they are likely to use their four overseas slots on Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, and either Nadine de Klerk or Kate Cross.