Due to personal reasons where she was supposed to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Australian legend Ellyse Perry wasted no time in making her presence felt after pulling out of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026. The veteran put on a stellar all-round performance in the Women’s Super Smash on Wednesday, December 31.
Perry, who represented Wellington Women against the Northern Districts Women at Mount Maunganui, played a key role in the 61-run total victory.
Batting at No.3, Perry anchored the middle order with a fluent 39 off 31 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six to complement captain Amelia Kerr’s match-winning 66. Her knock helped Wellington post a competitive total of 154 for 5.
Perry then promptly struck with the ball and tore through the top order to derail the Northern Districts chase. She finished with excellent figures of 4-1-11-3 and claimed the key wickets of Jess Watkin, Tash Wakelin and Eve Wolland. Her performance again underlined her class and value as a proven match winner.
PERRY, BIG MISS FOR RCB
Perry’s absence is expected to be a significant blow for RCBconsidering the impact she has made in the WPL over the years. The Australian great was instrumental in RCB’s victory in 2024 where she not only batted consistently but also made history by becoming the first bowler to take 6 wickets in the tournament.
In 25 WPL matches, Perry scored an impressive 972 runs, including eight half-centuries, while claiming 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.25. With Perry unavailable, RCB are now left with South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk as their only established overseas all-rounder option.
To strengthen their squad, the franchise brought in Indian all-rounder Sayali Satghare at her minimum price of Rs 30 lakh. Satghare, formerly with Gujarat Giants, went unsold in last month’s auction, but Perry’s exit created an opportunity for her to return.
RCB will begin their campaign on January 9 against two-time champions Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
January 1, 2026
