Australian superstar Ellyse Perry ‘indicated’ to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) that she would be available for the Women’s Premier League 2027 season after missing the 2026 edition due to personal reasons. RCB named Perry among their 13 retentions for the season, releasing her compatriot Grace Harris, who replaced the all-rounder in 2026, when the franchise cruised to a second WPL title.
Perry is one of the best all-rounders in the world, which made the 2026 win even more remarkable for RCB. But still, despite her post-peak age of 35 and a few emerging chinks in his game, Perry makes the team better, for she can consistently bowl four overs while being a match-winner with the bat.
“She (Perry) indicated that she would be more than happy
to come back and play for RCB some time in August,” head coach Malolan Rangarajan said in a video posted by the franchise.
Apart from Harris, D Hemalatha, Gautami Naik and Linsey Smith were also released Malolan seemed to send a message to the squad that the standards won’t be lowered.
“It was a long-drawn process (retention), and we had our coaches and Smriti (Mandhana) involved in it. We have had the benefit and privilege to be able to retain the core of our squad. It was obviously a winning combination, but it is important for the players to realise that they are expected to come in with improvements in their performance,” Malolan said.
The WPL auction will be held in Kochi on October 28. RCB will have Rs 1.15 crore in the bank to fill five slots, including two overseas picks.
RCB retention list: Smriti Mandhana, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Richa Ghosh, Radha Yadav, Prema Rawat, Prathyoosha Kumar, Nadike de Klerk, Lauren Bell, Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Arundhathi Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar.
