Ex-Cricketer Evaluates The Impact Of Ellyse Perry's Absence On RCB In WPL 2026: 'She Created An Aura'

Women's Premier League: Smriti Mandhana-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (WCB) will lock horns with Harmanpreet Kaur's Mumbai Indians in the opening fixture of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, on Friday, January 9.

The Bengaluru-based franchise won their maiden WPL title in 2024 after beating Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in the finals.

Before the start of the fourth edition of the WPL, Ellyse Perry withdrew from the WPL 2026 due to personal reasons. The Royal Challengers will miss out on the star Australian cricketer, who played a crucial role behind the franchise's success in the Women's T20 tournament.

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Veda Krishnamurthy Opens Up On Ellyse Perry's Absence In WPL 2026

While speaking on JioHotstar, former cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy showered praise on Ellyse Perry, saying the Aussie brought much energy into the side with her diving and catches. She added that Perry always performed under pressure.

"Ellyse Perry got that team together. You would see her running around the field, giving advice to the bowlers or Smriti when pressure built. She brought so much energy with her diving and catches. She created an aura in the squad. You cannot replace what she did. In every pressure situation, she was scoring for RCB," Veda Krishnamurthy said.

Krishnamurthy added that RCB will miss Perry's leadership qualities in the WPL 2026.

"She scored more than 60% of the team's runs in three years, over 900 runs. She took them through wins and losses. One person cannot shoulder that. You can't ask Smriti to score all those runs. But the best that can be done is for Smriti to hold one end more. You also cannot replicate Perry's leadership. RCB will miss that. Smriti might miss having her watching over her shoulder on the field," she added.

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Ellyse Perry's Numbers In WPL

In the WPL, Ellyse Perry has played 25 matches, scoring 972 runs at a strike rate of 132.96 and an average of 64.80. She scored eight half-centuries in the WPL history. While bowling, the 35-year-old claimed 14 wickets from 20 innings at an economy rate of 8.25 and an average of 30.85.

In the Women's T20Is, the 35-year-old all-rounder played 168 matches and 111 innings, scoring 2173 runs at a strike rate of 116.82 and an average of 31.04. She also picked up 126 wickets from 137 innings.