After Sophie Molineux was ruled out of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were dealt with another blow when star all-rounder Sophie Devine opted to take a break from cricket on an immediate effect to prioritise her mental health.
Not only WPL 2025, the 35-year-old Devine will miss the remainder of the ongoing Super Smash season for Wellington. She took this decision after receiving professional advice. However, RCB are yet to name a replacement for New Zealand star.
“Player well-being is paramount to us – it takes precedence over everything else,” NZC’s Head of Women’s High-Performance Development, Liz Green said. “Sophie’s had excellent support from the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and our high-performance unit staff, and everyone agrees this is the best option available.
“The most important thing for NZC is that Sophie has a decent break, receives good support and care, and is fit and well before returning to professional cricket,” added Green.
Sophie Devine has been an incredible figure in New Zealand women’s cricket. In fact, the all-rounder led the side to their maiden women’s T20 World Cup triumph last year.
Sophie Devine at RCB
Having played for RCB for two seasons, Sophie Devine played 18 matches, scoring 402 runs and taking nine wickets. She missed on a well-deserved hundred against Gujarat Giants by just s single run in 2023 season. Although her 2024 season didn’t go as she would have wanted, but played a crucial role en route to RCB’s title triumph.
Earlier, RCB named England’s Charlie Dean as replacement for Australian Sophie Molineux who was ruled out due to a knee injury. The WPL 2025 will start on February 14 and conclude on March 15.
RCB squad for WPL 2025: Smriti Mandhana , Sabbineni Meghana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh, Sophie Molineux, Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Kanika Ahuja, Danni Wyatt , Prema Rawat , Joshitha VJ , Raghvi Bist , Jagravi Pawar .
