Anya Shrubsole, a former fast bowler for England, has reportedly been named RCB’s new bowling coach in advance of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 season. Luke Williams, the head coach, is leaving because of scheduling difficulties.
Ahead of the forthcoming season, the winners of the second WPL edition want to completely overhaul their support crew.
Shrubsole played eight Test matches, 86 One-Day Internationals, and 79 Twenty20 Internationals for England before retiring from international cricket in 2022. In the three formats, she took 19, 106, and 102 wickets, respectively. With 34 wickets in 28 games across forms, the 33-year-old had an outstanding record versus India.
In one of the most remarkable performances in women’s cricket history, she led England to victory in the 2017 World Cup final with a game-winning spell of 6/46 against India at Lord’s.
Since hanging up her boots, Shrubsole has served as a player-turned-mentor for a number of local English clubs and is a member of the coaching staff of Southern Brave in The Hundred.
Her first full-time coaching position in franchise cricket is this appointment. Sunetra Paranjape, who was RCB’s bowling coach throughout their successful WPL 2024 title-winning campaign, is replaced by Shrubsole.
In order to strengthen their bowling line, which includes the gifted Indian bowlers Renuka Singh and Shreyanka Patil, the RCB administration was apparently seeking to add someone with new ideas. The team also includes Sophie Devine, a legend from New Zealand.
Head coach Malolan Rangarajan was hired.
Luke Williams, who led RCB to their first WPL championship the previous season, has resigned as head coach. Existing obligations with the Adelaide Strikers in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), which start on January 8 and coincide with the advanced WPL 2026 schedule, had an impact on his choice.
Malolan Rangarajan, the team’s longtime assistant and strategy coach, is anticipated to be elevated to head coach in his place. Since 2020, Rangarajan has been a part of the RCB establishment. He was instrumental in developing the team’s strategy and assisting homegrown players in honing their craft.
After missing out on the playoffs this year, RCB will want to recover quickly. In the league phase, they won three games and lost five, finishing in fourth place.
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