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Key Takeaways
- 1📊 Vastrakar ruled out for roughly two weeks with a hamstring strain
- 2🏆 RCB started WPL 2026 with a last-ball win over Mumbai Indians
- 3💡 Her absence forces RCB to rethink pace and lower-order balance
- 4🔮 Week-by-week rehab could see her return for the business end
"The all-rounder picked up the injury at the CoE in Bengaluru, where she had been recovering from a shoulder issue"
A big early setback for Pooja Vastrakar and Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the pace-bowling all-rounder has been ruled out for around two weeks with a hamstring injury, just as WPL 2026 got underway against Mumbai Indians.
RCB’s Campaign Hit by Early Injury Twist
RCB head coach Malolan Rangarajan confirmed that Vastrakar was unavailable for selection in the tournament opener, revealing that she tweaked her hamstring at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru just a fortnight before her scheduled release. The setback comes on the back of her recent shoulder issues, extending a frustrating run of injuries for the India all-rounder.
The update is that Vastrakar is expected to remain at the CoE for at least “two weeks more”, with her recovery to be monitored on a week‑by‑week basis. For an RCB side that invested heavily in her pace and lower-order hitting, this means early-season reshuffling of both their bowling resources and finishing firepower.
The timing is especially cruel given how RCB launched their WPL 2026 campaign – a thrilling last-ball win over Mumbai Indians, driven by Nadine de Klerk’s superb 44-ball 63* that dragged them over the line with three wickets in hand. That kind of all-round impact is exactly what RCB had earmarked Vastrakar for this season.
If the rehab progresses smoothly, Vastrakar could still feature in the business end of the league, effectively becoming a mid-season boost. For now, though, RCB fans will watch every medical update closely, knowing her availability could be the difference between another near-miss and a serious tilt at back-to-back glory.
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