Pooja Vastrakar to Miss Initial Weeks of WPL 2026 Due to Injury

Pooja Vastrakar's Injury Update

Pooja Vastrakar, an all-rounder for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women, will be sidelined for the first two weeks of the Women's Premier League 2026 season due to a hamstring injury. This information was confirmed by RCB's head coach, Malolan Rangarajan.

During the post-match press conference following RCB's victory over the Mumbai Indians in the WPL 2026 opener, Malolan explained that Pooja is currently unavailable for selection. She sustained the injury while at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, where she was initially receiving treatment for her shoulder. Unfortunately, she aggravated her hamstring during her stay.

Malolan stated, "Pooja Vastrakar is not available for selection. Two weeks prior to her release from the CoE, she unfortunately tweaked her hamstring. The information we have at the moment is that she will be there for two weeks more. She was there for her shoulder; now she has a hamstring issue. It's a week-by-week process. So let's see where she is at."

Match Highlights: RCB vs MI

In the match between MI and RCB, the Bengaluru team achieved a remarkable comeback victory against the defending champions, largely thanks to Nadine de Klerk's outstanding performance. She took four wickets and also scored a crucial half-century.

Chasing a target of 155 runs, de Klerk hit 20 runs in the final over, leading her team to a three-wicket win. RCB won the toss and chose to field first. After reducing MI to 67/4, a partnership of 82 runs between S Sajana (45 runs off 25 balls, including seven fours and two sixes) and Nicola Carey (40 runs off 29 balls, with four boundaries) helped MI reach 154/6. Nadine (4/26) and Lauren Bell (1/14) delivered impressive four-over spells.

RCB started their innings well with a 40-run opening partnership between Grace Harris (25 runs off 12 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and captain Smriti Mandhana (18 runs off 13 balls, with four boundaries). However, Amelia Kerr's spell (2/13) turned the game in MI's favor, leaving RCB at 65/5. A vital 52-run partnership between Nadine and Arundhati Reddy (20 runs off 25 balls, with two fours) kept RCB in contention. With 18 runs needed in the last over, Nadine hit Sciver-Brunt for 6, 4, 6, and 4 to clinch a memorable victory, while Prema Rawat contributed with 8 runs off four balls, including two fours.