Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has made changes in its coaching staff ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL 2026) season. Former England fast bowler Anya Shrubsole has been appointed as their new bowling coach, while former Tamil Nadu spinner Malolan Rangarajan will step in as the head coach.
In the last WPL season, Bengaluru finished fourth among five teams. The franchise won its first title in 2024 under the captaincy of Smriti Mandhana. RCB are now preparing to revamp their squad ahead of the mega auction on November 26, with the deadline to retain players being November 5.
RCB appoints Mallolan Rangarajan as head coach, Anya Shrubsole joins as bowling coach
Royal Challengers Bangalore have announced changes to their coaching setup ahead of WPL 2026. Anya Shrubsole has joined the team as the bowling coach, while Mallolan Rangarajan will take over as head coach for the upcoming season.
Former head coach Luke Williams stepped down from the role due to his commitments with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL). The WPL has been postponed by a month and will be played from January 8 to early February 2026.
India and Sri Lanka are set to jointly host the Men’s T20 World Cup in the February-March window. The WPL will also serve as valuable preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in June-July 2026.
Anya Shrubsole set for first coaching role in the Women’s Premier League
Anya Shrubsole, the 2017 World Cup winner with England, is set to begin her first coaching stint in the Women’s Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The former fast bowler retired from international cricket in 2022 after taking more than 200 wickets across all formats.
Following his retirement, Shrubsole took up the dual role of both player and assistant coach in the England domestic setup with Charlotte Edwards’ Southern Vipers. She will bring international experience and tactical insight to the bowling unit.
Shrubsole replaces former India cricketer Sunetra Paranjape, who held the post of bowling coach till 2025. The franchise has maintained continuity in its support staff, R. Muralidhar will continue as the batting coach and Navneeta Gautam will continue as the chief physiotherapist.
Malolan Rangarajan has been associated with RCB since the inaugural WPL edition
Malolan Rangarajan has been with Royal Challengers Bangalore since the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League. He is set to take over as the head coach for the upcoming edition. Rangarajan has played a number of roles within the setup and has worked under Ben Sawyer and Mike Hesson in 2023.
Apart from his WPL duties, Rangarajan also serves as the chief scout for the RCB men’s team. His immediate responsibility as head coach will be to finalize the list of retained players before the November 5 deadline. The WPL mega auction is scheduled to take place on November 26 in New Delhi.
RCB is reportedly set to retain Smriti Mandhana as captain and continue in her top post for the new cycle. The management is also in talks to retain key actors like Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sophie Molyneux and Shreyanka Patil.
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