WPL auction: RCB must fix middle-order gaps, says Reema Malhotra

Former India cricketer Reema Malhotra expects Royal Challengers Bengaluru to target Indian batters and all-rounders at the WPL 2027 auction. She identified middle-order gaps and a need for a finisher, while predicting greater pressure on Mumbai Indians

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Reema Malhotra believes defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will look to sign Indian batters and all-rounders at the WPL 2027 auction, scheduled to take place in Kochi on October 28. She added that the franchise needs to plug gaps in its middle order and find a reliable number seven.

RCB will enter the mini-auction with just five slots to fill after retaining most of the squad that won them the title last season. They will be aiming for a second successive crown and their third overall. The fifth season of the WPL will take place from January 14 to February 7.

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“RCB will be very busy at the mini-auction for Indian players, especially batters and all-rounders, and they have a decent auction purse too. They need an Indian batter because Smriti Mandhana as the opener and Richa Ghosh in the middle order are the only specialist batters in the playing XI for now, and they need someone to fill the number four spot.

“I feel they should make Richa bat at number four, which would solve their middle-order problem. If Richa bats at four, the number five spot opens up, and that can be filled by Radha Yadav. She played there last season and did well too, so that would be a great option for RCB to repeat.

“Nadine de Klerk will play the role of the finisher at six, but they need another batter at seven. They can try Pooja Vastrakar there, but if she is not going to bowl, I don’t see the point in playing her just for her batting. So, RCB will need an Indian all-rounder and a backup wicketkeeper for Richa, a role that can be filled by Sushma Verma or Uma Chetry,” Reema said on JioStar.

Among overseas players, Reema named Australian duo Grace Harris and Sophie Molineux, who previously played for the franchise, as RCB’s likely targets at the auction.

“RCB can definitely look to buy back Grace Harris, and that should be at the top of their to-do list because she scored 237 runs with the bat, and those runs were crucial to the team’s success.

“Yes, she was playing in place of Ellyse Perry, and now that Perry is back, Grace will be pushed down the batting order if RCB get her. But the kind of knocks she played last season will make RCB bid for her again. If they don’t get her, they can target Sophie Molineux, a player who was crucial in helping them lift their first-ever title back in 2024.

“Both these players will be in high demand at the auction, and RCB don’t have a big purse, so they will have a tough time getting either of them. They need luck to be on their side, and if they get lucky, I would like to see RCB secure the services of Sophie Molineux over Grace Harris.”

Reema further said that mini-auctions require careful preparation from franchises and felt the pressure would weigh more heavily on two-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI), who finished fourth last season, than on RCB.

“Teams feel the pressure in a mini-auction because you have to do your homework. When your purse isn’t that huge, you go after a limited number of players, but only those you feel will solve your problems. A franchise knows whom to bet on and whom to save money for.

“MI struggled a lot last season because they didn’t have a settled opening pair, and that was the biggest reason they failed to win the title, along with the lack of a star wicketkeeper-batter. I feel the pressure will be greater on MI than on RCB because they are MI. You expect them to win the trophy every season. They finished fourth, and they would want to bounce back strongly.

“RCB will feel less pressure because they won the title, and when a team lifts the trophy, it doesn’t make many changes to its core group of players. But RCB need to fill a few slots, and one of them is the finisher’s role. They need an Indian all-rounder to fill the number seven spot if they make Richa Ghosh bat at number four, along with quality backups,” she concluded.