New Delhi, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made a determined bid to bring Australian all-rounder Sophie Molineux back for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2027, but eventually lost her to UP Warriorz, with head coach Malolan Rangarajan saying the franchise had done all it could within its budget.
RCB entered the auction with ₹1.15 crore remaining and raised its offer to ₹1.05 crore for Molineux, who had contributed to the team’s title-winning campaign last season. However, the franchise also had other recruitment priorities to consider.
“When you have ₹1.15 crore and you go till ₹1.05 crore for her, I think we did the best we could to get her back,” Rangarajan told JioStar. He wished Molineux well at UP Warriorz, describing her as a top-class cricketer.
After missing out on Molineux, RCB signed four players to complete its squad: Australian all-rounder Jess Jonassen for ₹40 lakh, South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon, and Indian batters Tejal Hasabnis and Vrinda Dinesh. The four acquisitions cost the franchise a combined ₹1.10 crore.
Jonassen’s fitness remains a key consideration, as the Australian has opted out of the Women’s Big Bash League while recovering from an injury. Rangarajan said the information available to RCB indicated that she could be fit by the end of December, with plans to play domestic List-A matches in Australia before the WPL.
The coach said the franchise had assessed the risks and prepared backup options if her recovery took longer than expected. He highlighted Jonassen’s value as an experienced left-arm spinner who can bowl across different phases of an innings and contribute with the bat between positions four and six.
RCB entered the auction with 13 retained players, including captain Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Shreyanka Patil and Lauren Bell.
FOLLOW NOW
