Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women have created one of the most significant stories in the early history of the Women’s Premier League. The franchise entered the competition in 2023 with enormous attention surrounding its team and captain Smriti Mandhana, but the first season did not produce the results many expected. One year later, RCB transformed its campaign and won the 2024 WPL title. After another challenging season in 2025, the franchise rebuilt once again and returned to the top in 2026, defeating Delhi Capitals by six wickets in a record-breaking final.
The journey from the disappointment of 2023 to two championships has been shaped by leadership, squad development, international experience, young Indian talent and lessons learned from difficult campaigns. RCB’s two titles did not arrive through exactly the same route. The 2024 championship was built around a breakthrough season, while the 2026 trophy came after a more mature and balanced campaign.
By winning in 2024 and 2026, RCB became only the second team after Mumbai Indians to claim two WPL championships.
RCB’s WPL Beginning in 2023
RCB entered the inaugural WPL season with Smriti Mandhana as its marquee player and captain. Mandhana had been purchased for ₹3.4 crore, making her the most expensive player in the inaugural auction.
The team also featured international stars such as Ellyse Perry and Sophie Devine, creating an impressive-looking squad on paper. However, the first WPL season demonstrated that assembling talented individuals and building a successful tournament team were two different challenges.
RCB finished the 2023 season outside the playoff places. The campaign exposed areas that required improvement, particularly bowling consistency, middle-order stability and the ability to handle pressure during crucial phases.
Instead of treating the disappointing season as the end of a project, the franchise used it as a learning experience.
Learning From the First Season
The transition from 2023 to 2024 became an important stage in RCB’s development.
The management made changes to the squad and brought in players who could address specific weaknesses. The addition of Sophie Molineux proved particularly important, while the continued presence of players such as Mandhana, Perry and Richa Ghosh provided continuity.
Young Indian players also became increasingly important. Shreyanka Patil developed into a major bowling option, while Richa Ghosh continued to grow as a wicketkeeper-batter.
This combination gave RCB a more balanced squad than the one that had struggled during the inaugural season.
The franchise was no longer simply relying on its biggest names. It was beginning to create a team in which different players could decide matches.
The Breakthrough 2024 Campaign
The 2024 WPL season became the turning point.
RCB entered the campaign with greater tactical clarity and eventually reached the knockout stage. The team’s ability to recover from setbacks during the league phase proved important, especially because the competition among the top teams remained close.
Ellyse Perry was one of the campaign’s major contributors. Her consistency with the bat and ability to bowl important overs gave RCB an experienced match-winner.
Meanwhile, Sophie Molineux and Shreyanka Patil became crucial components of the bowling attack.
RCB eventually reached the final, where Delhi Capitals were waiting.
The 2024 Final
The 2024 final represented RCB’s first opportunity to win a WPL championship.
Delhi Capitals batted first but struggled against RCB’s bowling attack. Sophie Molineux produced an outstanding spell, while Shreyanka Patil also played a decisive role.
RCB restricted Delhi to a modest total and then approached the chase with composure.
The batting combination of Mandhana and Perry helped provide the stability required in a final. Richa Ghosh also contributed during the chase.
RCB completed the target with eight wickets remaining and secured its first WPL championship.
The victory was significant because it demonstrated how dramatically a franchise could change its fortunes in just one year. RCB had gone from missing the playoffs in 2023 to becoming champions in 2024.
Smriti Mandhana’s Role in the First Championship
Mandhana’s importance to RCB’s WPL journey goes beyond her batting statistics.
She was the franchise’s first major signing, its captain and one of the most recognizable players in women’s cricket. Her leadership was tested during the difficult 2023 campaign, but the experience became part of her development as a T20 captain.
By 2024, RCB had a more settled structure around her.
Mandhana did not need to win every match herself. Instead, she could rely on Perry, Molineux, Patil, Ghosh and other teammates to perform different roles.
That distribution of responsibility became one of the foundations of RCB’s first championship.
The Importance of Ellyse Perry
Ellyse Perry has been one of the most influential overseas players in RCB’s WPL story.
Her value comes from her ability to contribute in multiple areas. She can provide stability with the bat, bowl useful overs and bring extensive experience from international cricket.
In a young league such as the WPL, experienced players can have an impact beyond the scorecard. They can help younger teammates understand preparation, match awareness and pressure management.
Perry’s continued presence also gave RCB an important link between its first championship campaign and its later rebuild.
Shreyanka Patil and the Rise of Indian Talent
RCB’s first championship also highlighted the importance of developing Indian players.
Shreyanka Patil became one of the team’s most important bowlers during the 2024 campaign. Her performances showed how the WPL could provide a platform for domestic players to develop in high-pressure environments.
Richa Ghosh was another important part of the team’s development. Her aggressive batting and wicketkeeping gave RCB flexibility in the middle and lower order.
The franchise’s long-term strategy therefore became increasingly connected to the development of Indian players alongside established international stars.
The 2025 Challenge
Defending a championship proved difficult.
RCB entered WPL 2025 as reigning champions, but the team could not reproduce the consistency of the previous campaign. The season included a difficult run of five consecutive defeats before the final league match.
Despite those struggles, RCB finished the tournament with an important victory over Mumbai Indians. They scored 199/3, with Mandhana making 53 and Ellyse Perry remaining unbeaten on 49. RCB then restricted Mumbai to 188/9 and won by 11 runs.
The result provided a reminder that the championship team still possessed considerable quality.
However, RCB did not reach the 2025 final.
The season became another learning phase.
Rebuilding for 2026
The RCB management did not completely dismantle the championship core after 2025.
For the 2026 season, the franchise retained Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry and Shreyanka Patil. The official retention list shows that RCB retained four players and entered the auction with one Right to Match card and ₹6.15 crore available.
This approach was different from a complete rebuild.
Instead, RCB preserved its most important core while adding new players around it. The goal was to combine continuity with greater depth.
That strategy ultimately produced one of the strongest WPL seasons by any team.
A New-Look RCB Attack
The 2026 squad offered greater bowling variety.
Players such as Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Sayali Satghare and Radha Yadav added different styles and options to the attack.
Nadine de Klerk became particularly influential. Her ability to contribute with both bat and ball made her valuable during the season, while Bell provided a reliable new-ball option.
The result was a bowling group capable of applying pressure during different phases of an innings rather than depending on one specialist.
RCB’s Dominant Start to 2026
The 2026 campaign began with RCB establishing itself as one of the tournament’s strongest teams.
The side won its first four matches consecutively, including a convincing eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals. Mandhana scored a rapid half-century in that match, while Georgia Voll also made an important contribution.
The winning run continued.
RCB became the first team to qualify for the 2026 playoffs after defeating Gujarat Giants by 61 runs. That victory was their fifth consecutive win and sixth overall of the season.
The performance showed how much the team had developed since the inconsistent 2025 campaign.
Georgia Voll’s Breakthrough
One of the most interesting aspects of RCB’s 2026 campaign was the emergence of Georgia Voll.
The Australian batter provided stability and attacking options alongside Mandhana. Her performances gave RCB another reliable top-order contributor and reduced the pressure on the captain.
Voll’s importance became even clearer during the final.
Her ability to build partnerships with Mandhana helped RCB chase a record target under enormous pressure.
The Direct Route to the Final
RCB continued its strong league-stage campaign and eventually secured the top position.
In Match 18, the team defeated UP Warriorz by eight wickets while chasing 144. Grace Harris produced an explosive 75 from 37 balls, while Mandhana later completed the chase. RCB finished the job with 41 balls remaining.
The victory secured RCB’s place directly in the final.
Finishing first meant the team had an extended preparation period while Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Giants competed in the Eliminator.
The approach was very different from 2024. RCB entered the final as the league-stage leader rather than a team fighting through the knockout phase.
The 2026 Final: A Record Chase
The 2026 final became the defining moment of RCB’s second championship journey.
Delhi Capitals batted first and produced 203/4, the highest first-innings total in a WPL final.
Jemimah Rodrigues scored 57 from 37 balls, Laura Wolvaardt made 44 from 25 and Chinelle Henry contributed an explosive unbeaten 35 from just 15 deliveries.
RCB therefore needed 204 to win the championship.
The target was enormous, but RCB’s response was equally remarkable.
Mandhana and Voll’s 165-Run Partnership
RCB lost Grace Harris early, leaving the team under immediate pressure.
What followed was one of the most memorable partnerships in WPL history.
Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll added 165 runs for the second wicket. Mandhana attacked the bowling with a combination of timing and power, while Voll provided stability at the other end.
Mandhana scored 87 from 41 balls, while Voll made 79 from 54.
Their partnership transformed the chase.
At one stage, RCB appeared to be cruising toward the target. Even after both set batters were dismissed and the team experienced a late wobble, the remaining players kept their composure.
Radha Yadav then produced the decisive finish, hitting consecutive boundaries in the final over.
RCB reached 204/4 with two deliveries remaining and won by six wickets. It became the highest successful run chase in WPL history.
A Different Kind of Championship
RCB’s two championships came through different routes.
The 2024 title was a breakthrough. The team had missed the playoffs in the inaugural season, changed its structure and then won the trophy.
The 2026 championship was different. RCB had already experienced winning the tournament, endured a difficult 2025 campaign and then returned with a more mature squad.
The second title therefore represented continuity as well as improvement.
The team retained its core but added greater depth and role flexibility.
The Role of Experience
Mandhana and Perry provided a strong experienced foundation, while players such as Richa Ghosh and Shreyanka Patil represented the Indian core that had developed alongside them.
The 2026 squad added another layer of international experience through players such as Nadine de Klerk and Lauren Bell.
That balance helped RCB manage different match situations.
The franchise no longer needed one or two players to solve every problem. It had multiple options.
Learning From Defeat
Another important part of RCB’s journey has been its ability to learn from unsuccessful seasons.
The 2023 campaign exposed structural problems.
The 2025 season showed that a championship squad could still become inconsistent if it failed to maintain momentum.
The response to both situations was different but purposeful. RCB improved its squad after 2023 and maintained its core while adding depth after 2025.
That willingness to adapt has been central to the team’s two-title journey.
RCB’s Growing WPL Identity
RCB Women’s identity has developed significantly since 2023.
The franchise initially carried expectations because of the enormous popularity of the RCB brand. Over time, the women’s team created its own sporting identity.
The first championship gave supporters a historic moment. The second title strengthened that connection by demonstrating that the 2024 success was not an isolated achievement.
The team’s combination of experienced stars, young Indian players and international specialists has become an important part of that identity.
The Importance of the WPL Environment
The WPL has also given RCB a platform to develop players under professional conditions.
Young cricketers can train alongside international stars, experience high-pressure matches and learn from specialist coaches and support staff.
For RCB, this environment has helped players such as Shreyanka Patil and Richa Ghosh develop alongside established names.
The result is a team capable of combining immediate performance with longer-term development.
Two Championships, One Continuing Story
RCB’s WPL journey should not be viewed simply through its two trophies.
The 2023 disappointment, 2024 breakthrough, 2025 setback and 2026 comeback all form part of the same story.
Each season provided information that influenced the next.
The first season demonstrated the need for greater balance. The first title proved that the franchise could compete at the highest level. The 2025 struggles highlighted the need for renewed depth. The 2026 campaign showed the value of retaining a strong core while adding fresh options.
That progression explains why the two championships feel different despite belonging to the same franchise.
Looking Ahead
RCB now enters the next stage of its WPL journey with two championships, matching Mumbai Indians’ title count after four completed seasons.
The challenge will be maintaining the standards established during 2026.
The franchise will need to manage player workloads, continue developing younger Indian talent and make careful decisions at future auctions. Opponents will also study the team’s successful combinations and develop plans to counter them.
The WPL remains a rapidly changing competition, so past success does not guarantee future results.
However, RCB’s history already demonstrates that the franchise is capable of rebuilding and responding to difficult seasons.
Conclusion
RCB Women’s road to two WPL championships has been built through persistence and adaptation. The franchise began its WPL journey in 2023 with a high-profile squad but missed the playoffs. A year later, changes to the team produced a championship-winning campaign.
The 2025 season brought another setback, but RCB responded by retaining a strong core of Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry and Shreyanka Patil for 2026.
The rebuilt team then produced a dominant 2026 league campaign, secured direct entry to the final and defeated Delhi Capitals in a record-breaking chase. Mandhana’s 87, Georgia Voll’s 79 and their 165-run partnership became the central moments of the second championship.
RCB’s two WPL titles therefore represent two stages of the franchise’s development. The first was the breakthrough. The second was confirmation that the team could learn, rebuild and return to the top.
From an uncertain beginning to two championships, RCB Women have become an important part of the WPL’s early history. Their journey also shows how quickly women’s franchise cricket can evolve when experienced international players, emerging domestic talent and strong team planning come together.
