'She cannot be the same player' - Former India cricketer on RCB's replacement for Ellyse Perry

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has opined that Sayali Satghare will not be a like-for-like replacement for Ellyse Perry. Perry recently withdrew her name from the upcoming WPL season due to personal reasons.

Chopra suggested that while Satghare is an all-rounder, Perry's skill level with which he handled high-pressure situations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru is far superior that that which the 25-year-old Indian all-rounder possessed.

"Ellyse Perry is not coming. RCB have been actually dealt a body blow. The WPL is about to start in the first week of January and Perry has said she won't come. RCB have been a winning side and they've been dealt a slight blow that Perry is not there. They have kept Sayali Satghare as a replacement. It's the same skill set, but she cannot be the same player because Perry's skill level is very, very different," shared Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.

The prominent commentator also noted that Delhi Capitals will miss the presence of Annabel Sutherland. He commented that Alana King, Sutherland's replacement, lacks the batting prowess of her Australian all-rounder teammate especially when 20-over cricket is concerned.

"Alana King has come in place of Annabel Sutherland for Delhi Capitals. Again, she is not Sutherland's replacement. Sutherland, medium pace and batting, and batting is gun batting. Alana King, a proper spinner with decent batting, not a great batting option. ODIs — okay, T20s — 50-50. Had a great World Cup, but went unsold for whatever reason. I feel both teams will seem to be slightly weak in Perry and Sutherland's absence because they are gun players," he added.

Perry was RCB's leading run-getter in 2024 and 2025. In the 25 matches Perry has played for RCB across three seasons, she has registered 972 runs at a strike rate of 132.96 while also picking up 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8.25. WPL 2026 is scheduled to commence on January 9, with RCB taking on two-time champions Mumbai Indians.