WPL 2026: Covered Lot Of Roles With Four Retentions, Go Into Auction With Absolute Clarity, Says Rangarajan

Nuzhat Parween Heather Graham: Malolan Rangarajan, the newly appointed head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), said retaining skipper Smriti Mandhana, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, seam-bowling all-rounder Ellyse Perry, and off-spin bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil has helped them cover a lot of areas and go into the mega auction with total clarity.

RCB confirmed the retention spend stands at INR8.85 crore into four players – Smriti being top pick with INR 3.5 crore, followed by Richa at INR 2.75 crore, Ellyse at INR 2 crore, and Shreyanka getting INR 60 lakh. It leaves them with INR 6.15 crore heading into the mega auction and one Right to Match (RTM) card.

“This gives us a solid base with having secured the services of a captain and an opening batter, a wicket keeper and a powerful middle order batter, a top order all-rounder who can give us a little bit of seam-bowling plus an Indian off spinner.”

“With these four retentions, it gives us a very good core to build around. We've covered a lot of roles within these four retentions, key areas and with that we go into the auction with absolute clarity and knowing what we need to get,” said Rangarajan in a statement on Thursday.

Smriti, who made 434 runs in India’s 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup winning campaign, has amassed 646 runs from 26 inning for RCB at a strike rate of 129 and four fifties. She is the second highest run getter for RCB behind Perry and led them to 2024 title win in New Delhi.

“With Smriti, we get a left-handed opener, a very, very aggressive batter. That's something that resonates with how we want to play. And also, a very, very calm leader who we think is tactically very astute. And not to forget, she was the captain that brought RCB its first title,” said Rangarajan.

Richa, meanwhile has scored 625 runs from 24 innings at a strike rate of 151 with four fifties. In WPL 2025, she scored 230 runs from eight innings at a strike rate of 176, which was the second highest among players with 100+ runs only behind Chinelle Henry (196).

“She is among, if not the best middle order batter, plus being a wicketkeeper gives us an all-round ability. Her association with risk and how she faces pressure situations is exactly what we want in our batting order. And somebody we view with leadership potential as well,” added Rangarajan.

Ellyse has the second most runs in WPL with 972 runs from 25 innings at a strike rate of 133 and eight fifties. Apart from being the highest run getter for RCB, Ellyse has consistently aggregated 250-plus runs in all three seasons so far and has been a vital cog for RCB with the ball too – taking 14 scalps.

“I could go on about her achievements on the field, but I want to take a second to only mention what happens behind the scenes and what sort of standards she sets for our dressing room and for all the players. So having her involved in our future is very exciting.”

“Even the way she presents herself on the field gives us three skills. Among the top run getters across three years. Very handy with the ball, can bowl either in the powerplay or middle or death, plus her fielding. She's a live wire,” stated Rangarajan.

Shreyanka, meanwhile, is the joint highest wicket taker for RCB with 19 wickets. She missed the 2025 season due to shin injury, but returned to action via this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), where she won the title with Barbados Royals and has been turning out for Karnataka in the domestic season.

“With Shreyanka, it was one of those decisions where we wanted to give ourselves a little bit of time because everybody was aware that she's been on the sidelines for the last year or so. So we gave her the opportunity to go ahead and play a couple of tournaments.”

“We saw her play, we did a due diligence behind the scene, had healthy discussions among coaches and the core group. And we came to the decision to retain her because one, she's an exceptional cricketer, an off spinner who's able to give us bowling through three phases.”

“She's an Indian capped player and gave us the opportunity to build around three Indian core players plus Perry. So that made it a very exciting prospect for us,” concluded Rangarajan.

“We saw her play, we did a due diligence behind the scene, had healthy discussions among coaches and the core group. And we came to the decision to retain her because one, she's an exceptional cricketer, an off spinner who's able to give us bowling through three phases.”

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Article Source: IANS