New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have appointed former England fast bowler Anya Shrubsole as their new bowling coach as part of a reshuffle in their support staff ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season.
Shrubsole, a 2017 ODI World Cup winner with England, will join RCB’s setup for the first time and work alongside Malolan Rangarajan, who has been promoted to the role of head coach for the upcoming season. The changes come after Luke Williams, RCB’s head coach during the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, was ruled out of the season due to his commitments with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL).
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the WPL has been advanced by a month, now set to run from January 8 to early February 2026, creating a scheduling clash for Williams. India is scheduled to co-host the Men’s T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka in the February-March window, followed by IPL 2026, prompting the rescheduling.
Shrubsole, who retired from international cricket in 2022 with over 200 wickets across formats, has since turned her focus to coaching. She previously served as player-assistant coach under Charlotte Edwards at Southern Vipers in the English domestic circuit.
Her new role with RCB will mark her first coaching stint in the WPL, succeeding Sunetra Paranjape, who was the bowling coach until 2025.
Rangarajan, a former Tamil Nadu offspinner, has been part of RCB’s WPL structure since its inception in 2023. After assisting Ben Sawyer and Mike Hesson in the first season, he became assistant coach to Williams during RCB’s title-winning 2024 campaig—their maiden trophy—and continued in the same capacity during the 2025 season, where the team finished fourth.
RCB’s other key support staff members–R. Muralidhar (batting coach) and Navnita Gautam (head physio)—are expected to continue in their respective roles.
Rangarajan’s immediate responsibility will be overseeing player retentions ahead of the November 5 deadline, with the WPL mega auction expected on November 26 in New Delhi. RCB are reportedly unanimous in retaining Smriti Mandhana as captain and their top pick for the next WPL cycle, while discussions are ongoing with Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sophie Molineux, and Shreyanka Patil for retentions.
RCB have had mixed fortunes in the WPL so far, finishing fourth in 2023 and 2025, either side of their breakthrough title triumph in 2024, a success that preceded the men’s team’s historic IPL win in 2025.
(IANS)
