Perry’s return gives RCB more options ahead of WPL auction

Ellyse Perry’s availability for WPL 2027 has strengthened defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru across departments, head coach Malolan Rangarajan said. RCB retained 13 players, including captain Smriti Mandhana, while releasing four ahead of the October 28 auction in Kochi

New Delhi: Australia’s premier seam-bowling all-rounder Ellyse Perry’s decision to make herself available for the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027 season has bolstered defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in every department, head coach Malolan Rangarajan said.

Perry, who missed RCB’s title-winning 2026 campaign due to personal reasons, confirmed her availability in August this year. On the WPL 2027 retention deadline day, RCB opted to retain 13 players, comprising nine Indians and four overseas stars, while parting ways with Dayalan Hemalatha, Gautami Naik, Linsey Smith and Grace Harris ahead of the player auction on October 28 in Kochi.

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The fifth edition of the WPL is scheduled to run from January 14 to February 7, 2027.

“RCB has retained 13 players and Ellyse Perry has made herself available to play for RCB in the upcoming WPL. RCB has decided to release four players — Hemalatha, Gautami, Linsey and Grace Harris.

“It’s really important to appreciate the effort and commitment with which these players play for RCB. They played an integral part in us winning our second title and I want to take this opportunity to thank them again for all the effort they put in,” said Rangarajan in a video posted by the franchise on Monday.

Speaking about Ellyse’s return for the five-team tournament, Rangarajan felt it made the retention strategy easier for RCB, which has also retained captain Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Radha Yadav, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, K Prathyoosha, Sayali Satghare, Pooja Vastrakar and Georgia Voll.

“It was a long-drawn process, the whole retention process, where we had our coaches and Smriti involved in it. Perry indicated that she’d be more than happy to come back and play for RCB sometime in August, post which we got together and thought about how we could improve our squad.

“With Perry returning to our squad, it bolsters the team in all departments. She comes in as a batter and that got us thinking about how we could balance our squad and look for options in the auction,” he said.

Rangarajan expressed confidence in the retained core while underlining that past success would not breed complacency when the team approaches the auction table, where RCB has a purse of Rs 1.15 crore.

“We’ve had the benefit and privilege of being able to retain a major core of our squad, 13 players — nine Indians and four overseas players.

“This is obviously a winning combination, but it’s important for us and the players to realise that we expect them to come in with improvements in their performances. The intent with which we’re going to approach this auction is to improve our team,” he said.

Closing with an acknowledgement of the franchise’s loyal supporters, Rangarajan reiterated the side’s commitment to delivering an entertaining brand of cricket in WPL 2027.

“The 12th Man Army has always been there for the team, always supported us through thick and thin.

“As a support staff and coaching staff, we pride ourselves on our team playing to a specific style that inspires our fans, and we’re sure we’ll try to do that again next year. We’re absolutely certain that you guys will be there to support us even in the next WPL.”