One of the most popular Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be coming into this tournament with all the support in the world.
RCB have already named Smriti Mandhana as their captain and she will be bringing in a humongous fan base. The Bangalore-based franchise already have some megastars in their ranks and they would be hoping to make RCB win a title in their debut year in the WPL.
RCB will be locking horns with Delhi Capitals in their campaign opener on 5th March 2023 and it is expected to be an absolute crackerjack of a match.
In this article, we plot a SWOT analysis of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the upcoming WPL 2023:
Strength
The presence of several experienced cricketers in the ranks of RCB will push them towards attaining everlasting glory in the 1st season of WPL. Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh and Megan Schutt all have a lot of experience and they are maestros of the T20 format.
Playing in a big T20 league such as the WPL often can be intimidating and this is where the experience of these cricketers will be coming in handy. No doubt, RCB come into the side with a very strong side on paper.
Weakness
Lack of experienced Indian spinners in the ranks of RCB can work as an obstacle in their path towards clinching the first WPL title. Since only 2 venues will be used throughout the tournament, the pitch is bound to get slower with the progression of time and this can well help spinners. This is a grey area of RCB.
Opportunities
The lower middle order batters of RCB will get a lot of opportunity to rub shoulders with some big guns like Smriti Mandhana, Heather Knight and Ellyse Perry. Undoubtedly, this will be a big learning curve for these youngsters.
Threat
RCB have players from 5 different countries in their roster. Sometimes it becomes extremely tough for the cricketers to get accustomed to their teammates and their thought-processes. Plus, RCB have a proper blend of experience and youth. Managing this factor will also be extremely important for RCB.
Squad
Smriti Mandhana, Disha Kasat, Richa Ghosh, Indrani Roy, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Erin Burns, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Poonam Khemnar, Renuka Singh, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar
Predicted Playing XI
Smrithi Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Dane van Niekerk, Kanika Ahuja, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, Renuka Singh, Megan Schutt, Komal Zanzad.
Also read: WPL 2023: Mumbai Indians SWOT Analysis; Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, Know All
