3 reasons why RCB signing Nadine de Klerk for WPL 2024 is the right move

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have named Nadine de Klerk as a replacement for Heather Knight, who has withdrawn from the WPL to prepare for England's tour of New Zealand that starts in March.

Heather Knight was a regular feature in RCB's lineup in the WPL 2023, playing in all eight matches. However, she scored just 135 runs at an average of 22.50. She also picked up four wickets but was expensive with an economy rate of 11.14.

Nadine de Klerk is an all-rounder who bowls right-arm medium. The 24-year-old has played 47 T20s, 30 ODIs and one Test match for South Africa. She has not played in the WPL previously.

In this article, we will look at three reasons why Royal Challengers Bangalore signing Nadine de Klerk for WPL 2024 is the right move:

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#1 Nadine de Klerk is a quality bowling all-rounder

Nadine de Klerk is currently ranked 12th in the ICC World Rankings for Women's T20Is. She has picked up 36 wickets in 37 innings in T20Is at an economy rate of 7.15 and a strike rate of 19.2. The right-handed batter has amassed 419 runs in 33 innings in the shortest format of the game at an average of 26.18.

Considering she is only 24, there is a lot of potential for her to become one of the best all-rounders in the game. Royal Challengers Bangalore already have Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry, who are two stalwarts of the game. They are also among the top 15 T20I all-rounders.

However, they are in their mid-30s and won't be getting any better. The pair can help De Klerk improve her game, which will also benefit RCB in the short term. The importance of all-rounders can never be overstated in women's T20Is, and De Klerk has the quality to become a seasoned campaigner for her new side.

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#2 Improves RCB's bowling woes

Royal Challengers Bangalore were a batting-heavy side in WPL 2023, much like they have been in the majority of IPL history. Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry both scored over 250 runs for them last season, while they also have Smriti Mandhana and some talented Indian middle-order batters in their ranks.

They scored more runs than any other team last season, but they also conceded the second-most runs due to not having a great bowling attack. While Nadine De Klerk is not a better batter than Heather Knight, she is a much better bowler than the 34-year-old at the moment.

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#3 Shows RCB management's flexible approach

Royal Challengers Bangalore weren't among the fans and pundits' favorites to win the WPL 2024 after the mini-auction in December as their squad lacked balance. Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, the two finalists of the WPL 2023 season, will enter the new season as pre-tournament favorites as they have strengthened their already strong squads.

RCB, unlike these two teams, were top-heavy on paper. Usually, teams look for like-for-like replacements when a big player gets injured. However, the RCB management understood that they had a weak bowling unit and decided to bolster their options by replacing Knight with De Klerk.

While this decision will not suddenly make the Bengaluru-based side absolute favorites to win WPL 2024, it shows the RCB think tank is flexible in its approach and prepared to address the team's shortcomings.