India’s seam bowling all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar has made her return to competitive cricket after recovering from a long injury break. She has rejoined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) squad for the remainder of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 on Thursday. The RCB team receives a tremendous advantage through this development which they use to achieve their tournament goals.
Vastrakar has been one of the top bowling all-rounders in Indian women’s cricket. Her new ball bowling speed together with her ability to perform powerful batting hits makes her an essential player for any team. RCB will benefit from her presence as they march toward the business end of the tournament.
Injury, Recovery, and Comeback
Vastrakar had been missing from action since late 2024 due to a shoulder injury. She underwent rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and was close to making her comeback ahead of WPL 2026. But two days before her final clearance, she picked up a hamstring injury and had to remain at CoE for extra time.
On Thursday RCB welcomed her through a post on X saying:
"Starring in Reds ft. Pooja Vastrakar. Experience in her stride, resilience in her run, with pace in hand and power down the order, the job gets done. Back from injury, stronger than ever, proving the naysayers wrong! 12th Man Army, welcome Pooja as she begins her next chapter in red, blue, and gold."
Vastrakar reached Vadodara on Monday after getting clearance from the CoE according to IANS who reported the news. She was expected to join RCB after their match against Gujarat Giants. RCB will now use her skills for bowling and batting after her return.
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Boost for RCB Ahead of Playoffs
RCB acquired Vastrakar through the mega auction held in New Delhi last year when they paid ₹85 lakh to secure her services. At her previous team Mumbai Indians (MI) she played 16 WPL matches to achieve 126 runs and 7 wickets. Vastrakar has represented India in 72 T20I matches at the international level. She has taken 58 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of 6.39 in that period. Her best bowling performance was 4/13 while she has scored 332 runs in T20I matches.
RCB will become a more powerful team through her return because they have demonstrated outstanding performance during the current season. The team led by Smriti Mandhana has achieved five consecutive victories which enabled them to secure playoff qualification. The champions of the 2024 edition have an undefeated record in the WPL 2026, making them serious contenders for the title.
The next fixture for RCB is against Delhi Capitals on Saturday at BCA Stadium. Vastrakar, upon her return, adds more bowling and lower-order batting to RCB, a talent pool that needs to be utilized in high-pressure situations, especially when knockout stages arrive.
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