Delhi Capitals all set to name Jemimah Rodrigues as new captain ahead of WPL 2026 - Reports

Jemimah Rodrigues will replace Meg Lanning as Delhi Capitals’ new skipper in WPL 2026.

It has been the case of so close, yet so far, for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Three seasons, and three finals, yet no trophy, and the Capitals will hope to finally end this trend at the fourth edition of the competition.

Amidst the backdrop of the mega auction which forced teams to change their combinations, DC retained their core, mainly Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, and uncapped U19 World Cup winning skipper Niki Prasad.

A glaring omission was that of their former captain and Australian legend Meg Lanning. DC did not buy back the Aussie, a move which left fans stunned. However, they did acquire the services of South African captain, Laura Wolvaardt.

Post the auction, a key question looming over the DC management was who would take charge of the side. While Laura Wolvaardt appeared to be the natural choice given her vast international captaincy experience, co-owner Parth Jindal made it clear that the franchise was keen on appointing an Indian captain for the upcoming cycle.

“We are very clear we want an Indian as captain. We have our minds made up”, remarked Parth Jindal, Managing director of JSW Cement and Delhi Capitals’ co-owner.

Jemimah Rodrigues all set to lead the Delhi Capitals in WPL 2026

Following Jindal’s statement, it became clear that India’s Jemimah Rodrigues would be the central figure around which the DC team will be structured going forward. Rodrigues was the first player the franchise bid for, in the inaugral WPL auction, and the 25-year-old is set to be the youngest captain in WPL history.

Rodrigues played a pivotal role in India’s 50-over World Cup triumph, delivering a match-defining unbeaten 127 that powered India past defending champions Australia in the semi-finals, as she anchored a historic chase to seal a famous victory.

Rodrigues has played 27 matches for DC in WPL so far, scoring 507 runs at an average of 28.16, in 24 matches, with a strike rate of 140. Entering her prime, Rodrigues will know she needs to perform better, and it remains to be seen how she deals with the pressure of captaincy going forward.

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