WPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru name Charlie Dean to replace injured Sophie Molineux

The WPL 2025 will begin on February 7 and take place at four different locations. In the upcoming season, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB-W), the reigning champions, would want to ensure that they continue to dominate.

After purchasing quality players at the auction, the RCB-W team appears to be strong. But lately, they were dealt a serious blow when it was announced that Sophie Molineux, their star left-arm spinner, would not be participating in the forthcoming season because of a knee injury. Last year’s season was fantastic for the 26-year-old Australian player. She took 12 wickets from 10 games, ranking third in the tournament’s wicket-taking standings.

For Smriti Mandhana and company, losing one of their top players from the previous season is heartbreaking.

English off-spinner Charlie Dean, who hasn’t played in the WPL yet, has now taken Sophie’s place.

Charlie Dean has participated in 36 Twenty20 International matches for England, claiming 46 wickets with an amazing economy rate of 6.91 and an average of just 18.19. With a strike rate of 111.57 when playing for England, the 24-year-old prodigy is also known to make useful cameos with the bat.

When Dean played South Africa Women in her most recent WT20I series, she took six wickets at an average of 12.33 and an economy of 6.72, becoming her the series’ highest wicket-taker. She bowled a fantastic spell of 3/26 in her allotted four overs, earning her Player of the Match award in the third Twenty20 International.