Smriti Mandhana's RCB suffer huge blow ahead of WPL 2026 as Ellyse Perry pulls out; Sayali Satghare named replacement

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a huge blow ahead of the upcoming edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) after star all-rounder Ellyse Perry withdrew from the tournament due to personal reasons. Perry's loss is a significant blow to the Bengaluru franchise.

The veteran all-rounder played a crucial role during RCB's title-winning campaign in WPL 2024. In nine games that season, Perry won the Orange Cap with 347 runs and also too seven wickets. In the previous season, Perry accumulated 372 runs with four half-centuries from eight games.

As a replacement for Perry, RCB have named Indian all-rounder Sayali Satghare for a base price of ₹30 lakh. Satghare had earlier played four matches for Gujarat Giants in WPL in the 2024 and 2025 season.

Not just RCB, Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz also saw two of their star players pull out. While Delhi Capitals will miss the services of Annabel Sutherland, Tara Norris will not be available for UP Warriorz.

“Australian all-rounders Ellyse Perry (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Annabel Sutherland (Delhi Capitals) have withdrawn from the upcoming edition of the league due to personal reasons,” WPL said in a statement.

Delhi Capitals name Alana King as replacement

Delhi Capitals, who played in the final in all three seasons so far, have named Sutherland's fellow teammate Alana King as a replacement. Leg-spinner King, who played for UP Warriorz in WPL 2025, will join Delhi Capitals at a reserve price of ₹60 lakh.

King has so far played 27 T20Is for Australia and took 27 wickets. Meanwhile, Norris will miss WPL 2026 due to national commitments. "Left-arm medium pacer Tara Norris has been selected for the USA national team for the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier, scheduled to be held in Nepal from 18 January to 1 February 2026.

“As a result, she will be unavailable for the Women’s Premier League 2026, which begins on 9 January,” WPL stated in a statement. As a replacement, UP Warriorz have named uncapped Australian all-rounder Charli Knott. Knott has been signed at a reserve price of ₹10 lakh.

When will WPL 2026 start?

The WPL 2026 will start on January 9 with the RCB taking on Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Notably, the WPL 2026 will be played at two venues across Mumbai and Baroda - DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai) and Baroda Cricket Association Stadium (Vadodara).