Renuka Singh says big-money tag left her wanting to quit RCB
Renuka Singh said on November 1, 2026 that she had contemplated quitting Royal Challengers Bengaluru after struggling to perform in the Women's Premier League. The Indian pacer told Filmygyan that the pressure of her hefty price tag and a run of poor results contributed to those feelings.
Across three WPL seasons with RCB, Renuka played 23 matches, taking 13 wickets at an economy rate of 8.34; her first season yielded one wicket from six matches at an economy of 9.54. She recalled approaching captain Smriti Mandhana during that difficult period and telling her she no longer wanted to play; Smriti, Renuka said, acknowledged she was “not performing either” while averaging around 18 with the bat as RCB failed to progress beyond the first round.
Renuka was among the highest-paid players at the inaugural WPL auction when RCB bought her for Rs 1.50 crore, a sum she said intensified the burden on her. “The team was also losing matches, so we couldn't really understand what was happening to us. It was the first-ever WPL season, and we had been bought for such huge amounts of money. That brought a different kind of pressure. “I mean, I had never received that kind of money before. There was this added pressure of thinking, ‘A team has trusted me enough to spend so much money on me, but I'm not able to perform.’”
Her second WPL season remained difficult: in 2024 she took two wickets from 10 matches. Renuka recovered in the following edition, claiming 10 wickets in seven matches to regain form.
RCB released Renuka ahead of the 2026 mega auction and Gujarat Giants purchased her services for Rs 60 lakh. On the move, she said the team cultures were similar but that playing for RCB carried extra scrutiny because of its fan base: “There is a little more pressure at RCB, actually, because the fan following is so massive. I felt a bit of pressure there because two seasons with RCB hadn't gone well. Obviously, when you don't perform, you do feel that pressure, especially because of the fans,” Renuka said.
With Gujarat Giants, Renuka picked up seven wickets in nine matches in her maiden season for the franchise and was subsequently retained ahead of the recent auction in Kochi. She described the Giants' environment as positive and comparable to Bengaluru's, adding: “Ultimately, whichever team you play for, your job is to perform,” Renuka added.
Having rediscovered her rhythm with the Giants and been retained ahead of the Kochi auction, Renuka will be hoping to carry that form into the upcoming WPL edition and make a bigger impact for Gujarat Giants.
