They finished fourth in the WPL 2025.
After a disappointing last season in which the 2024 champions failed to qualify for the playoffs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be hoping for a better season when the WPL 2026 begins on January 9. Ahead of the new season, here is the RCB WPL 2026 preview with all all you need to know.
Smriti Mandhana, who has been leading the team since the first season, will continue as captain in the upcoming season. The franchise had to rebuild the squad at the mega auction and did a decent job.
However, a few days ago, Ellyse Perry withdrew from the WPL 2026 due to personal reasons. RCB named Sayali Satghare as her replacement, signing her at the reserve price of INR 30 lakh.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained four players ahead of the auction: Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, and Shreyanka Patil. They also added players like Grace Harris, Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, and Radha Yadav to strengthen their squad.
Check out the full RCB WPL 2026 squad.
Smriti Mandhana (c), Georgia Voll, Arundhati Reddy, Dayalan Hemalatha, Gautami Naik, Grace Harris, Nadine de Klerk, Pooja Vastrakar, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Prathyoosha Kumar, Richa Ghosh, Lauren Bell, Linsey Smith.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will begin their campaign on January 9 against Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the season. They will play four matches in Navi Mumbai and four in Vadodara. Here is the full list of RCB WPL 2026 fixtures:
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time (IST) |
| 9 Jan 2026 | Mumbai Indians | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 12 Jan 2026 | UP Warriorz | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 16 Jan 2026 | Gujarat Giants | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 17 Jan 2026 | Delhi Capitals | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 19 Jan 2026 | Gujarat Giants | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
| 24 Jan 2026 | Delhi Capitals | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
| 26 Jan 2026 | Mumbai Indians | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
| 29 Jan 2026 | UP Warriorz | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
The four overseas players who could feature from the squad are Georgia Voll, Grace Harris, Nadine de Klerk and Lauren Bell. With this combination, they can have at least seven bowling options. Here is how RCB best XI could possibly look like:
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, and they still have a few concerns ahead of the upcoming edition. They have strong openers at the top and reliable finishers who can close out the innings well. However, there are some areas where the team looks weak.
One major concern is the absence of Ellyse Perry. She played a big role for the team, being the second highest run scorer in WPL history and also contributing with the ball. RCB do not have a like for like replacement for her. The bowling attack looks decent, but there is a lack of strong backup options. There is also a shortage of Indian batters, and Shreyanka Patil’s form after returning from injury will be another concern.
Because of these issues, RCB could once again struggle to make the playoffs. For them to qualify, Smriti Mandhana and the bowling unit will need to step up and have a very strong season.
Let’s take a look at some of the key players for RCB WPL 2026 campaign.
Skipper Smriti Mandhana has scored 646 runs in 26 WPL matches at an average of 24.84 and a strike rate of 128.68.
She is coming into the season in good form, having finished as the second highest run scorer in the Women’s World Cup 2025 with 434 runs in nine matches. Recently, she also scored 80 runs in a T20I against Sri Lanka.
Richa Ghosh will be an important player in the middle-order for the team, and without Perry, she will have to play a bigger role in the batting lineup.
She has scored 625 runs in 24 innings at an average of 34.72 and a strike rate of 150.96. In the Women’s World Cup 2025, she scored 235 runs at an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of 133.52 in the 50 over format.
Grace Harris represented UP Warriorz in the first three seasons and will now play for RCB.
In the WPL, she has scored 581 runs in 21 innings at an average of 32.27 and a strike rate of 140.33. She has also taken 13 wickets.
Lauren Bell will be making her WPL debut this season and is expected to lead the pace attack. In T20Is, she has taken 50 wickets in 36 innings.
In 2025, she picked up 36 wickets in 21 T20 matches. Her performance with the ball will be a key factor for the team.
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