Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are set to appoint Australia's Luke Williams as a head coach for their team ahead of the Women's Premier League 2024. Luke Williams guided Adelaide Strikers to Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) glory in December last year and will be replacing former Australia head coach Ben Sawyer at RCB.
RCB endured a poor season in the inaugural edition of the WPL 2023 in March. They finished in the fourth position in the five-team tournament with just two wins from eight group-stage games. The RCB setup is also witnessing overhaul changes to its management for the men's team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Andy Flower replacing Sanjay Bangar as a head coach last month.
According to a report from ESPN, Williams will take the charge of women's team after another successful stint in coaching. He was the assistant coach for Southern Braves who won the Women's Hundred 2023 tournament last month. Williams has established himself as one of the finest coaches in the world in the last two years and will target to end RCB's wait for the silverware.
Bengaluru-based franchise remains without a trophy in IPL and their start to WPL was not a convincing one. They signed the star Indian batter Smriti Mandhan for a record sum and also spent big on pacer Renuka Singh in the player auction. The RCB think-tank also added world-class overseas cricketers Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Megan Schutt and Heather Knight to form one of the best teams in the league.
But despite having the star-studded side at their disposal, Sawyer and Mandhana failed to find the preferred playing eleven throughout the tournament. Devine and Knight were the only players to cross the 200-run mark while Mandhana struggled with just 149 runs in eight innings. In bowling, a young Indian all-rounder shone with six wickets but the likes of Renuka and Schutt struggled to contribute in a very disappointing season for the team and fans.
