Kochi (Keralam) [India], October 28 (ANI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) added four players to their squad at the WPL Auction 2027 today, signing Australian all-rounder Jess Jonassen for Rs 40 Lakhs, South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon for Rs 30 Lakhs, Indian batter Tejal Hasabnis for Rs 30 Lakhs and Indian batter Vrinda Dinesh for Rs 10 Lakhs.
Jonassen’s addition strengthens RCB’s spin-bowling department, while Tryon brings further all-round depth to the squad. The acquisitions of Hasabnis and Dinesh add to the franchise’s Indian batting options as RCB finalised its squad for the upcoming season, where they will look to defend their title, according to a release.
Speaking about the signing of Vrinda Dinesh, Head Coach Malolan Rangarajan said, “I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect us to land Vrinda, so I’m very happy that we’ve been able to bring a Karnataka-born player into the squad. She has been doing exceptionally well for India A, and as soon as we saw an opportunity to bring her into the team, we made sure we took it across the line.”
Reflecting on the addition of Chloe Tryon, Rangarajan said, “I’m very happy to have Chloe Tryon in our squad. She is a very experienced international player who has been playing in franchise leagues and performing well. She adds depth to our batting, with the ability to bat anywhere between No. 4 and No. 7, and is also very handy with her left-arm spin."
“One of the key things for us was identifying experienced players who have already been part of the WPL environment. We now have a very good mix of experienced players and a couple of youngsters who are looking to play for the country. We’re very happy to have Chloe in the squad.”
Rangarajan also highlighted the importance of Ellyse Perry’s return to the squad and the strategic considerations behind RCB’s auction approach.
“Honestly, Perry coming back was huge for us. There was a void in our batting without her, but we have to give a lot of credit to our girls last year, who did well to counter her absence. With her coming back, we have a very, very good player at number three.”
“One big distinction with this auction is the fact that you don't have an additional purse coming through in every auction. The IPL or the WPL usually have an increment every year. This year, you don't. One of the reasons behind releasing Grace was that we wanted to manufacture a little bit of purse coming into the auction, and we wanted to be competitive.”
RCB entered the auction with 13 retained players and a remaining purse of Rs 1.15 crore, having strategically created additional budget to remain competitive in the auction. The franchise put that flexibility to use, securing four additions in Jonassen, Tryon, Hasabnis and Dinesh to strengthen its spin-bowling, all-round and batting options as the defending champions prepare for the upcoming season.
Ahead of the auction, RCB had retained Smriti Mandhana, Georgia Voll, Nadine de Klerk, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil, Sayali Satghare, Richa Ghosh, Prathyoosha Kumar, Lauren Bell, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Prema Rawat.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WPL Squad:
Jess Jonassen (Rs 40 Lakhs), Chloe Tryon (Rs 30 Lakhs), Tejal Hasabnis (Rs 30 Lakhs), Vrinda Dinesh (Rs 10 Lakhs), Smriti Mandhana (Captain, retained), Georgia Voll (retained), Nadine de Klerk (retained), Ellyse Perry (retained), Shreyanka Patil (retained), Sayali Satghare (retained), Richa Ghosh (retained), Prathyoosha Kumar (retained), Lauren Bell (retained), Arundhati Reddy (retained), Pooja Vastrakar (retained), Radha Yadav (retained) and Prema Rawat (retained). (ANI)
RCB completes squad with four additions at WPL Auction 2027
