WPL 2025: Smriti Mandhana To Lead Perry, Wyatt, And...? - RCB Strongest XI

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh Thakur [Source: @RCBTweets/x.com]Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh Thakur [Source: @RCBTweets/x.com]

The Indian cricket fans will be treated with the excitement and thrill of T20 cricket as the WPL 2025 gets on the way from 14th February. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will walk into the tournament as the defending champions and will be looking to win the title on the bounce. 

As the Smriti Mandhana-led side gears up for the tournament, let us look at their best combination and what could be their strongest playing XI.

4 Overseas Players Of RCB For WPL 2025

The English top-order batter, Danni Wyatt, will be the best choice to open with the skipper of the team, Smriti Mandhana. Wyatt has batted mostly in the top order and has scored 3,190 runs in 170 T20 matches at a strike rate of 128.99 and an average of 23.62.

Ellyse Perry was the star for RCB in their championship run last season. With her ability to impact the game with both the bat and the ball, Perry will be a key cog in the RCB set-up for the tournament. The Aussie legend will be in charge of providing stability and dynamism to the batting line-up. Besides, Perry can also come with some effective overs with the ball and give depth and flexibility to the team's plans.

Charlie Dean has been drafted into the RCB squad after the auction. The English spin bowling all-rounder could be vital to the RCB team. Dean can bowl some economical and efficient overs in the middle and death phases and also be handy with the bat in the lower order.

The fourth overseas option for RCB during the tournament would be Georgia Wareham. The Australian all-rounder could act as a floater in the batting line-up and take charge of increasing the scoring rate depending on the situation of the game. Besides, Wareham could be very effective for the team with her bowling in the middle phase of the innings.

Stability In The Batting Line-up

Smriti Mandhana will be opening the innings for the team. She can be the stable influence for the team at the top and also increase the scoring rate with the situation of the match.

Sabbhineni Megahana can play stable knocks in the middle-order and be the grafter for the team. Richa Ghosh and Shreyanka Patil will have the role of providing powerful finishes to the team. The presence of Kanika Ahuja in the lower order will give depth to the batting of the team.

Asha Shobhana and Renuka Singh Thakur, The Proper Bowlers

Asha Shobhana played a huge role in RCB's campaign in the last season. She has the wicket-taking ability, which gives the team an advantage in the middle overs. 

On the other hand, Renuka Singh Thakur has not been too effective as a pace bowler in the WPL. She will be eager to deliver better and be more impactful in the third edition of the tournament.

RCB Strongest Playing XI For WPL 2025

Smriti Mandhana (c)
Danni Wyatt✈️
Ellyse Perry ✈️
Sabbhineni Meghana
Richa Ghosh (wk)
Shreyanka Patil
Charlie Dean ✈️
Georgia Wareham ✈️
Kanika Ahuja
Renuka Singh Thakur
Asha Shobhana