All Of Us At RCB Feel So Fortunate Because Of The Support: Ellyse Perry

Women’s cricket has grown by leaps and bounds, and the ongoing edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) only amplifies the case. Nearly 30,000 people were consistently present at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to cheer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), something that would have been impossible to imagine prior to WPL.

RCB’s all-rounder, and currently the Orange Cap holder in WPL 2025 (323 runs in seven innings), Ellyse Perry, insisted that the support for the franchise is crazy. Not just that, the all-rounder also recalled how she was present at the venue when Brendon McCullum scored 150 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on the opening night of the Indian Premier League. 

“We went to the first IPL match where Brendan McCullum scored around 150 runs for KKR. I remember thinking that was the most insane thing ever. Now, to be on the same field with a packed stadium where we can’t even communicate because it’s so loud—it’s incredible. All of us at RCB feel so fortunate to be playing for this team because the support is just crazy,” Perry said on RCB’s Podcast, Bold and Beyond. 

Perry has been a constant presence over the last two years, and she insists that the ‘need to learn consistently’ has kept her growing and evolving. 

“I think I've been able to continue to learn, which has been the most motivating factor. To be still playing, the opportunity that always presents itself is to learn something new, to be challenged. And I think particularly in women's cricket, every year it just gets a little bit bigger, a little bit better.” 

Having made her debut for Australia at 17, Perry recalled her early years. “It's funny. I'm not sure you learn a lot in the early phases because everything's just so new. You often see young players coming in their first year, and it looks so easy for them. That’s because they have no expectations, no past experiences to draw from. It’s a lovely time to play because you just take everything in your stride and play with so much freedom.” 

Perry also talked about the growth of women’s cricket over the years. 

“When I first started, hardly any of our matches were televised, maybe one or two a year, which were precursors to men's matches. The kind of reporting always followed the same narrative: ‘Do you wish that you were paid more to play? Do you wish you had more attention?’ It sort of perpetuated the same storyline about women's sport.” 

“If you fast forward 15, 20 years to now, every match is covered, we’ve got 30,000 people at the stadium every night, and women have the opportunity to work in sport full-time, whether as a player, a coach, an administrator, or an executive.” 

“As this tournament progresses, I see more opportunities for young girls playing and coming through and how good they are. It’s a bit scary! Every year I come back, there are new faces pushing the standards even higher.”