It came as a huge surprise when the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) retention list didn’t have Meg Lanning’s name on it. The 7-time Women’s World Cup winner for Australia was the highest run-getter for the franchise and led the side to three successive WPL finals. However, DC apparently decided to move on from her and decided not to retain her. While they lost a consistent batter up top, DC also now have a void of captaincy, the bigger factor to worry about.
Jemimah to lead DC at WPL?
However, it looks like Delhi have sorted their brains as far as the captaincy problem is concerned. The 3-time finalist now looks adamant about having an Indian captain. While speaking to reporters during the WPL 2026 mega auction, Delhi Capitals’ co-owner and chairman Parth Jindal confirmed that they are not looking for any overseas captain. This came despite them picking up South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt from the marquee set of the auction for Rs 1.10 crore.
Having an overseas captain sometimes abbreviates a franchise’s options. We have seen it multiple times in the IPL, where if an overseas captain goes out of form, he becomes a liability. While Meg Lanning never gave that sort of a situation to DC, the franchise seems strict on having an Indian captain.
Among the Indians, Jemimah Rodrigues is the most obvious pick. Having been the vice-captain of the side for three years, she has all the characteristics to become the face of the side. Following her once-in-a-lifetime innings in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia, her stocks are at an all-time high as well.
While Jemimah lacks captaincy experience at the international and WPL level, she has been a regular captain for the Mumbai Senior Women’s Team in the domestic circuit. Under her leadership, Mumbai won the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in 2024 too.
Delhi Capitals Women retention list for WPL 2026
Retention 1 (INR 2.20 crore) – Jemimah Rodrigues
Retention 2 (INR 2.20 crore) – Shafali Verma
Retention 3 (INR 2.20 crore) – Annabel Sutherland ✈️
Retention 4 (INR 2.20 crore) – Marizanne Kapp ✈️
Retention 5 (INR 50.00 lakh) – Niki Prasad (uncapped)
RTM – 1
Purse left – INR 5.70 crore
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