RCB appoints Anya Shrubsole as bowling coach for WPL 2026

NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has appointed former England pacer Anya Shrubsole as the new bowling coach, ahead of the Women’s Premier League 2026 season.

Shrubsole will work alongside Malolan Rangarajan, the former Tamil Nadu spinner, who will step in as head coach for the upcoming season. The change follows Luke Williams’ decision to opt out due to his commitments with Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League, ESPNcricinfo reported.

The WPL 2026 is set to kick off on January 8. This revised timeline positions the WPL perfectly as a crucial preparation phase for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for June-July.

A World Cup winner in 2017, Shrubsole retired from international cricket in 2022 with over 200 wickets. Her stint with RCB will be her first in the WPL. Sunetra Paranjape was previously the bowling coach of RCB until 2025.

Rangarajan has been an integral part of RCB’s Women’s Premier League setup since the inaugural season. He worked under Ben Sawyer and Mike Hesson in the first season and later assisted Luke Williams during their title-winning campaign in 2024 and the subsequent season. Now, he’ll take over as the head coach for the upcoming season.

The other members of the RCB support staff include R. Muralidhar, who will continue as batting coach, and Navnita Gautam, who is likely to continue in her role as head physio.

Rangarajan’s first task will be to finalise the players RCB are retaining ahead of the November 5 deadline, with the WPL mega auction likely to be held on November 26 in New Delhi. (ANI)