Royal Challengers Bangalore Women's strongest playing XI after the WPL 2024 auction
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were one of the worst teams in the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) as they got it wrong on several fronts to miss out on the playoffs.
RCB were understandably active in the WPL 2024 auction as they snapped up seven players, including three big overseas names. They now have a few options when it comes to choosing the right combination, a luxury they didn't have in the previous season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women's squad for WPL 2024: Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry*, Heather Knight*, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, 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*.
Here's RCB's strongest playing XI for the WPL 2024 season.
Openers: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine
While there are bound to be changes in other departments, RCB should stick to the same opening combination. Captain Smriti Mandhana and the experienced Sophie Devine will pair up at the top of the order.
Mandhana was one of the biggest disappointments in WPL 2023, and both her batting and captaincy will be in the spotlight during the upcoming season. Devine, meanwhile, can hit the ball a long way and will also need to give the side a couple of overs in the powerplay.
Middle Order: Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja
Ellyse Perry batted at No. 3 and played an important role with the ball for RCB in WPL 2023, and that shouldn't change. Without much meat in the pace department, Bangalore will need their overseas pace-bowling all-rounders to chip in regularly.
Heather Knight is locked in a battle with Kate Cross to take up the final overseas slot. Last season, RCB were forced into fielding Megan Schutt to add some weight to the pace attack at the expense of a batting all-rounder, and that didn't work out for them.
The same could happen with Cross, who isn't even a part of England's first-choice T20I side right now. The fast bowler should be on the bench to start the season, opening up a spot for Knight to bat at No. 4 and chip in with her underrated off-spin.
Richa Ghosh was one of RCB's marquee signings at the WPL 2023 auction, but she didn't do justice to her potential in the season. The young keeper-batter is bound to turn things around soon, though.
Kanika Ahuja has gone from strength to strength lately and must be part of RCB's playing XI in WPL 2024. She will be the only left-hander in the middle order.
Lower Order: Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Simran Dil Bahadur, Renuka Singh Thakur, Ekta Bisht
It's here that RCB's new signings come into the picture.
Georgia Wareham, who can bowl leg-spin and tonk the ball, should be an easy addition to the XI. That would mean that Asha Shobana, who impressed in WPL 2023, might have to be consigned to the bench.
However, if Bangalore are willing to take the risk of going in a pacer short, they could play Shobana at the expense of Simran Dil Bahadur, who was a late signing at the WPL 2024 auction. Simran might not have been in favor recently, but she is an all-rounder with immense potential who deserves a starting spot in the league.
Shreyanka Patil and Renuka Singh Thakur will be two of the first names on the RCB teamsheet. Ekta Bisht, who is arguably the best left-arm spinner in the country, is also a genuine contender to feature prominently.