Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) started their Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign with a victory. However, the win was followed by a major setback for RCB, as their fast-bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar has been ruled out for two weeks due to injury. RCB had begun their WPL 2026 season with a win against Mumbai Indians.
This information was provided by the RCB coach
Pooja Vastrakar played her last competitive match in the T20 World Cup in October 2024. She was bought by RCB for Rs 85 lakh in the WPL auction. It was hoped that she would make a comeback through the WPL. RCB head coach Malolan Rangarajan said, Pooja Vastrakar was unavailable for the match against Mumbai Indians. Two weeks before she was supposed to be released from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, she unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury. According to the information we have, she will have to stay there for another two weeks. She was initially at the CoE for a shoulder injury, and now she has a hamstring issue. It's a week-to-week situation. We'll see how her condition improves.
In Pooja Vastrakar's absence, RCB entrusted the bowling responsibilities to England spinner Linsey Smith, Arundhati Reddy, and Nadine de Klerk. Rangarajan added, "The importance of all-rounders came to the fore. My blood pressure is fine, everything is good. I've gotten used to it. I've been with RCB for six years. It feels great to be a part of the win.
MUM-W vs BLR-W Match
The fourth season of the Women's Premier League (WPL) began in thrilling fashion. In the opening match played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated defending champions Mumbai Indians by three wickets to get their campaign off to a flying start. After losing the toss and batting first, Mumbai Indians scored 154 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs, largely thanks to a crucial 82-run partnership between Sajeevan Sajana and Nicola Carey. In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore chased down the target, scoring 157 runs for the loss of seven wickets, with Nadine de Klerk playing a match-winning unbeaten innings of 63 runs.
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