RCB head coach Malolan Rangaranjan explains the team’s WPL 2027 auction strategy, highlighting the acquisition of Jess Jonassen and reflecting on Sophie Molineux’s move to UP Warriorz as they aim to defend their maiden league title.
RCB WPL 2027 Auction Strategy
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Malolan Rangaranjan spoke on the team’s failure to get Australian skipper Sophie Molineux, who featured in the franchise’s maiden title win and on getting Jess Jonassen on board for her experience and all-round abilities. Defending champions RCB added four players to their squad at the WPL Auction 2027 on Wednesday, signing Australian all-rounder Jess Jonassen for Rs 40 Lakhs, South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon for Rs 30 Lakhs, Indian batter Tejal Hasabnis for Rs 30 Lakhs and Indian batter Vrinda Dinesh for Rs 10 Lakhs.
Sophie Molineux’s Move to UP Warriorz
Molineux went to UP Warriorz for Rs 1.1 crore, becoming the costliest buy in the auction. She was a key cog of RCB’s maiden title-winning team, with 12 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 23.16, including 3/20 against Delhi Capitals in the title clash back in 2024.
Coach Reflects on Budget Constraints
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Match Centre Live Auction Special’, Malolan reflected on the team’s decision to go after Australian Captain Sophie Molineux despite budget constraints: “When you have Rs 1.15 crores, and you go till Rs 1.05 crores for her, I think we did the best we could to get her back. We also have to recognise that we did win the championship last year. So, we would have loved to have her in our squad, and we tried to demonstrate that. But I wish Sophie the very best when she plays for UP, a gun cricketer. We would have liked her, but again, that is how the auction works, and we had other players also that we were looking at.”
Signings and Future Planning
Adding Veteran Jess Jonassen
On signing Australian veteran Jonassen, who will be missing the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) this year, Malolan pointed out how useful her left-arm spin would be in middle-overs and death overs and how her ability to bat anywhere from number four to six makes her a valuable player.
“She has opted not to play the WBBL now because she is nursing an injury. The information we have at the moment is that she’s going to be fit by the end of December, and she will play a couple of domestic List-A games in Australia and should be fit in time for the WPL. JJ is a very experienced player. We’re aware of her current fitness status, but we still wanted her,” he said.
“Similarly with Sophie also. We were very aware of what we were going to sign up for. So, if required, we also have all our backup plans ready. I would like to focus on JJ the player and the way she improves our team. A left-arm spinner who is a powerplay option for us through the middle and death, and more importantly, bats anywhere between four and six. So very, very happy to have JJ in the team,” he signed off.
In WPL for three seasons, Jonassen made appearances for Delhi Capitals, scoring 295 runs in 24 matches and 18 innings at an average of 24.58 and a strike rate of 138.49, with two fifties. She also took 33 wickets at an average of 20.75, with best figures of 3/31.
Full WPL Squad Details
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WPL Squad: Jess Jonassen (Rs 40 Lakhs), Chloe Tryon (Rs 30 Lakhs), Tejal Hasabnis (Rs 30 Lakhs), Vrinda Dinesh (Rs 10 Lakhs), Smriti Mandhana (Captain, retained), Georgia Voll (retained), Nadine de Klerk (retained), Ellyse Perry (retained), Shreyanka Patil (retained), Sayali Satghare (retained), Richa Ghosh (retained), Prathyoosha Kumar (retained), Lauren Bell (retained), Arundhati Reddy (retained), Pooja Vastrakar (retained), Radha Yadav (retained) and Prema Rawat (retained). (ANI)
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