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RCB's auction blunder: Why missing out on Laura Wolvaardt could haunt them in WPL 2026

Anurag Dasgupta

RCB's blunder of not buying Wolvaardt [Source: @ayush_m255/x.com]RCB's blunder of not buying Wolvaardt [Source: @ayush_m255/x.com]

The Women’s Premier League (IPL) 2026 mega auction is underway, and while all the franchises have bought one or more marquee players in the first set, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) remain the only side not to purchase any player in the first set and this came in as a surprising call.

Interestingly, the team went after Laura Wolvaardt in the mega auction, but the franchise made a baffling decision to back out midway as DC outbid them and roped the South African in their side. The mistake not to get Wolvaardt could come back to haunt the former WPL champions and here’s why.

1) Wolvaardt in excellent run of form

The Proteas captain led from the front as she played multiple world-class knocks in the Women’s World Cup 2025 and helped her team reach the finals. She finished as the leading run getter and is in the form of her life at the moment.

Criterion
Data
Matches9
Runs571
Average71.37
50s/100s3/2

(Wolvaardt in World Cup 2025)

  • She was the best batter of the tournament and amassed 571 runs with an average of 71, and hence, the RCB team should have gone after one of the best batters of the modern generation and a player who is having a dream run recently. 

2) The lefty-righty combination chance missed

For RCB, Smriti Mandhana is an obvious opening choice, and had they gotten Wolvaardt in their squad, the team would have had a lefty-righty opening pair in Mandhana, and Wolvaardt.

T20I cricket demands something different in the batting order and having a left-right combination would have been a difficult prospect for the opponent bowlers to stop. Mandhana's left-handed flair would have complimented Wolvaardt's right-handed aggression.

3) Wolvaardt, the brand missed

For years, RCB’s men’s team and the Women’s side have heavily relied on players with brand value. RCB persisted with Virat Kohli due to his brand value and face value, and after an impressive performance in the Women’s World Cup, Wolvaardt’s stocks have grown.