RCB's strongest playing XI for WPL 2026 ft. Smriti Mandhana

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be captained by Smriti Mandhana in the WPL 2026.

The November 2025 auction changed everything for the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) came away with a squad that looks incredibly solid on paper.

Management focused on specific roles. They signed veterans to fix the issues that used to hurt the team in the middle overs. With Smriti Mandhana still the captain, the team has a great mix of world-class stars and local talent.

The WPL 2026 is all set to begin on 9 January and RCB will be top favourites to win the league. They have been training hard and as they prepare for the league, we take a look at RCB’s strongest playing XI for WPL 2026.

RCB’s strongest playing XI for WPL 2026

Top Order – Smriti Mandhana, Georgia Voll and Dayalan Hemalatha

The opening pair brings a mix of consistency and quick scoring. Smriti Mandhana remains the main pillar at the top. She brings her usual class and can control the game right from the start.

Signing Georgia Voll finally solves the problem of who should open with Mandhana. The young Australian is a great match for Mandhana’s left-handed style. Voll hits pace bowlers hard, which will give Mandhana time to get settled before she starts playing her big shots.

Following them at number three will be Dayalan Hemalatha, as Elyse Perry has been out of WPL 2026. She can save the team after early wickets or score fast if the start is good.

Middle Order – Richa Ghosh, Grace Harris and Nadine de Klerk

Expect plenty of boundaries in the middle of the innings. Richa Ghosh takes the number four spot. She handles the keeping and loves to attack the spinners. Her job is to ruin the opponent’s bowling plans with pure power.

Right behind her is the new signing, Grace Harris. Securing her was a huge win for the team. Harris brings an infectious energy to the crease and can flip a game in just two overs. Because of her, no total is safe, and no target is too high.

Nadine de Klerk adds much-needed batting depth between the big hitters and the bowlers. She picks up singles well and can hit sixes when needed. This will stop the scoring from drying up in the middle overs. Also, she can be very handy with the ball.

Bowling Attack – Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Lauren Bell 

RCB have plenty of options in the bowling department for 2026. Lauren Bell, the tall English fast bowler, will run the show. She gets a lot of swing and bounce. She hunts for early wickets and makes batters take risks while the ball is moving.

Pooja Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy help her out with the pace. Both Indian bowlers have good pace and can also score handy runs at the end to make the batting even deeper.

The spin department features several different styles. Shreyanka Patil is back with her clever off-spin and smart bowling at the death. She teams up with Radha Yadav. Radha’s left-arm spin brings control and a knack for taking wickets. This attack has everything: swing, seam, and variations of spin. It will give opposing captains a real headache.

RCB’s predicted playing XI for WPL 2026

This lineup makes the most of the four-overseas limit. It relies on experienced Indian players to come through when the pressure is on.

• Smriti Mandhana (C)
• Georgia Voll 
• Dayalan Hemalatha 
• Richa Ghosh (WK)
• Grace Harris 
• Nadine de Klerk
• Pooja Vastrakar
• Shreyanka Patil
• Arundhati Reddy
• Radha Yadav
• Lauren Bell 

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