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The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will open their campaign with a clash against the Delhi Capitals on Sunday, March 5, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
In a move that delighted fans, the ownership group of RCB in the IPL launched a bid for one of the WPL teams and succeeded in bringing Bangalore into WPL 2023. The PlayBold army did just that at the auction table and assembled one of the stronger squads of the tournament.
They will be led by arguably the biggest superstar in Indian women’s cricket right now, Smriti Mandhana. She was the first player out of the box in the WPL 2023 player auction, and the Director of Cricket Operations, Mike Hesson, went all-out to ensure that she would wear the Red and Black in WPL 2023 and beyond.
With their bold bidding leaving them with a strong squad heading into the season, will the RCB women give their city the joy the men’s team hasn’t been able to?
The Auction
RCB was a force to reckon with in the initial stages of the auction with their aggressive yet not reckless bidding. After spending more than 30% of their purse on Smriti Mandhana, RCB did very well to sign two quality Indian players, Richa Ghosh, and Renuka Singh, albeit for some hefty sums. The two are arguably the best Indians in their respective positions now and could maintain that status quo for years to come.
They signed another giant of the game, Ellyse Perry, shelling out ₹1.7 Crores to secure her services. RCB also showed a good eye for bargains, picking up star White Ferns all-rounder Sophie Devine for her base price of ₹50 Lakhs.
Their scouting methods and system leading up to the WPL 2023 Auction was a talking point, and they did a decent job of recruiting some young and unknown talents. Young all-rounder Kanika Ahuja was their main uncapped signing, and she should play a key role for them this season.
After quietly filling their squad after their initial bursts of bidding, RCB played it smartly to save their funds till the accelerated rounds of auction, where they picked up some steals. They signed England captain Heather Knight, Megan Schutt, Dane van Niekerk, and Aussie all-rounder Erin Burns for a combined sum of ₹1.4 Crores, and that rounded out a solid auction for the side.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s squad for WPL 2023: Smriti Mandhana (C), Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Kanika Ahuja, Megan Schutt, Dane van Niekerk, Erin Burns, Heather Knight, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Asha Shobana, Indrani Roy, Disha Kasat, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, and Shreyanka Patil.
Strengths
There are a lot of positives in this RCB lineup, and what strikes you the most is their strong Indian core. Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Renuka Singh are arguably the best top-order batters, wicket-keepers, and seamers in the Indian T20I setup right now, and to have them playing for the same team in a franchise-based league is a luxury, not every team can have.
Another positive boils down to pretty much one player: Richa Ghosh. She’s easily the most promising wicket-keeper batter in the Indian women’s cricket setup, and the fact that she consistently scores at a strike rate of over 130 makes her an invaluable asset to any team.
At only 19 years old, she’s already an X-Factor for RCB, and it’ll be a delight to watch her face off with some of the world’s best bowlers.
The experience, squad depth, and quality of their overseas stars are the last and most important strengths. In Megan Schutt, Heather Knight, Ellyse Perry, Dane van Niekerk, and Sophie Devine, RCB has assembled an All-Star lineup of some of the most successful players to have ever played the sport. They bring a wealth of experience and a winning presence, and while some may be slowly going past their prime, they’re still a force to reckon with.
RCB- Weaknesses
The lack of an experienced big-name spinner, either overseas or Indian, does look like the main problem for RCB. While they do have spin-bowling all-rounders in Erin Burns, Kanika Ahuja, and Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose is the only capped Indian spinner in the side.
While they have put their faith in youngsters like Sahana Pawar and Poonam Khemnar, not having a quality specialist spinner in Indian conditions could be something that could hurt them later on in the tournament.
They also appear to have a problem of plenty concerning their overseas players and might have some selection headaches. Head Coach Ben Sawyer already confirmed that the side would rotate the overseas players, and it remains to be seen how that strategy works out in such a short tournament.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Predicted Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Dane van Niekerk, Richa Ghosh (WK), Disha Kasat, Kanika Ahuja, Megan Schutt, Preeti Bose, Renuka Singh, and Komal Zanzad.
RCB: Best Fantasy Cricket Options for WPL 2023
Ellyse Perry, Smriti Mandhana, and Renuka Singh all look like excellent Fantasy cricket options due to their incredible rate of consistency. Perry is the best captaincy pick among the trio, especially if she bats at No.3. Dane van Niekerk is equally good with both bat and ball, and if she gets to bat higher up the order, she would be a gem of an option.
Lastly, the uncapped Kanika Ahuja could play a crucial role for the side. Her left-arm batting separates her from the rest of the spin-bowling all-rounders, and she could produce some stellar performances at a bargain price.
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