WPL 2025: RCB announce Charlie Dean as Sophie Molineux replacement for season 3
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru has announced that Charlie Dean would be replacing.
The injured Sophie Molineux in their squad for the upcoming season. Molineux, who played an integral role in RCB’s triumph in 2024, has been ruled out of the upcoming edition due to a knee injury.
It was revealed that Molineux had picked up the injury after the completion of India’s tour of Australia and won’t be recovering in time for the upcoming season. Dean, who has picked up 46 wickets in T20Is at an economy rate of 6.91, is also a handy batter lower down the order and would act as the perfect replacement for the all-rounder. The England star has a strike-rate of over 111 in the 36 matches she has played so far.
“Australian all-rounder Sophie Molineux, who played a key role in RCB-Ws title triumph in WPL 2024, has been ruled out of the upcoming season due to a knee injury.”
“England all-rounder Charlie Dean, who has 46 WT20I wickets to her name at a meagre economy rate of just 6.91 and is a handy lower-order batter, has been named Molineuxs replacement,” read the statement from RCB on Thursday.
Molineux had a standout year last season, showcasing her skills with both the ball. In the 2024 WPL, she claimed 12 wickets in 10 matches, finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker of the tournament and formed a formidable spin trio with Asha Shobana and Shreyanka Patil.
Even more impressively, Molineux captained the Melbourne Renegades to a historic title victory in the Womens Big Bash League (WBBL). She led from the front, taking 16 wickets in just seven matches during the competition.
Molineux had also bowled a triple-wicket over in the WPL 2024 final, which helped RCB secure the win over the Delhi Capitals.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad for WPL 2025
Retained: Smriti Mandhana (Captain), Sabbineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patiil, Asha Sobhana, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh, Charlie Dean (Replacement for Sophie Molineux), Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt-Hodge (Traded from UP Warriorz)
Bought in auction: Prema Rawat, Joshitha VJ, Jagravi Pawar, Raghvi Bisht.