Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues was announced as the new captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) on Tuesday, ahead of the fourth season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, which will commence on January 9 in Navi Mumbai.
The 25-year-old, who was one of DC’s retained players ahead of the WPL mega auction in November, will take over from Meg Lanning, who was released by the three-time finalists before the auction.
“It is an absolute honour to be named captain of the Delhi Capitals, and I am deeply grateful to the owners and the support staff for placing their faith in me to lead this team. It has truly been a dream year for me and my family, winning the World Cup and now being entrusted with this wonderful opportunity at a franchise that has held a very special place in my heart since the very first season of the WPL,” said Rodrigues in a DC statement.
“I have learned so much over the last three years and have shared some of my best moments with the Delhi Capitals. This team is my family. While I will miss the players who were part of our journey in the first cycle, I am excited to create new memories with both familiar faces and new teammates. We have a strong group, and I can’t wait to get going as we look ahead to what we hope will be a very successful season, and finally cross that line that has eluded us in the last three years.”
Franchise owner Parth Jindal had announced on auction day that DC was looking for an Indian player to lead the side, ahead of the new season.
“I think we are very clear that we would like to have an Indian as the captain. So, depending on you know, what who else we land. We already have our mind made up, but let’s see what happens. Laura (Wolvaardt) will add a lot of leadership into the dressing room, but we are clear that we want to go with an Indian captain,” Jindal had said.
Rodrigues has scored 507 runs in 27 matches for DC at a strike rate of 139.66 with three half-centuries. She was vice-captain to Lanning for the first three seasons of the league. After her appointment, Rodrigues credited Lanning for the way she had led the side and inspired her with her presence.
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“We are gonna win this year. That’s the change I want to bring. Credit to Meg, too, for the way she has led the team over the last three years and the culture she has set for the team. She has inspired me and I have to owe that credit to her,” Rodrigues told Parth Jindal in an interaction.
The right-hander was part of India’s victorious ODI World Cup campaign and played a central role in her side entering the final with an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls in the semi-final against Australia. Rodrigues made an unbeaten 69 against Sri Lanka in the first T20I at Visakhapatnam, helping India chase down the target of 122 runs with eight wickets in hand and more than five overs to spare.
