Exciting news for Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans as they have appointed the former England fast bowler Anya Shrubsole as RCB bowling coach for the upcoming edition of the WPL cricket 2026. The England pacer is set to join the supporting staff, which includes Malolan Rangarajan, who has been appointed as the head coach of the team.
With the inclusion of Anya Shrubsole, RCB’s bowlers are expected to deliver their best performance to date, with perfect coordination with the batters.
Anya Shrubsole as the RCB Bowling Coach
Following the reshuffle in RCB’s coaching department, with Malolan Rangarajan taking over the role of new head coach, the former England pacer Anya Shrubsole has been appointed as the new RCB bowling coach ahead of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026.
As the most renowned leader of England during the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup win, Shrubsole is accompanied by her years of international experience and more than 200 career wickets. In 2022, she retired from international cricket but remained active in the sport as a player and assistant coach of the Southern Vipers in the domestic circuit in England.
It is her first coaching position in the WPL cricket, and she is likely to play an important role in enhancing the bowling department as the RCB bowling coach.
This replacement was made by the franchise following the departure of Luke Williams, who resigned because of scheduling issues with the BBL cricket season, as he is bound to coach the Adelaide Strikers. Williams could not keep associating with RCB since the WPL 2026 is one month ahead of schedule, and it will start on January 8.
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Shrubsole will also be collaborating with a former Tamil Nadu spinner, head coach Rangarajan, who has been with the franchise ever since the beginning of the league.
He has worked as an assistant in the service of several head coaches, including Ben Sawyer, Mike Hesson, and also Williams. Rangarajan was the key part of the 2024 winning campaign of RCB, their first-ever WPL cricket trophy.
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Anya Shrubsole – POTM of 2017 women’s world cup as the new bowling coach of RCB-W ⚡ https://t.co/tpDotiZLBK pic.twitter.com/zlaWmFRjyL
— GaganGowda (@hittingwickets) November 3, 2025
Besides the arrival of Shrubsole as RCB bowling coach, the other critical support staff of RCB have not gone. R. Muralidhar remains the batting coach, and Navnita Gautam will still be the head physio.
The initial task that Rangarajan has to complete as a head coach is to ensure that RCB has its player retention finalized by November 5 in preparation for the WPL mega auction set to be held on November 26 in New Delhi.
RCB is likely to keep its captain, Smriti Mandhana, as well as such players as Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sophie Molineux, and Shreyanka Patil. With a solid support staff and the expertise of their RCB bowling coach, Anya Shrubsole, RCB plans to win again in the next WPL season after winning the first title in the history of the club in 2024. Her skills and experience as a leader are expected to provide a new impetus to the bowling attack of RCB at the beginning of the 2026 WPL season.
Amit Mishra’s Take
From my perspective, the appointment of Anya Shrubsole as the new RCB bowling coach ahead of the Women’s Premier League 2026 certainly boosts the confidence of the players and the support staff as a whole. Her involvement in the team with the talented Malolan Rangarajan in the coaching setup is something that has made RCB favorites even before the season has begun.
The change came into place after the former RCB bowling coach Luke Williams parted ways with the team following his commitment to Adelaide Strikers in the BBL cricket. This is expected to work in their favour as they now have a great chance of defending the title, continuing their winning journey in the tournament.
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