Jemimah Rodrigues set to be named Delhi Capitals captain

Jemimah Rodrigues is set to be announced the captain of Delhi Capitals ahead of the fourth edition of the Women's Premier League. The official announcement is expected on Tuesday (December 23).

The Delhi-based franchise had entered the WPL 2026 mega auction after releasing former skipper Meg Lanning for the two-year cycle, while retaining the India batter, also their vice-captain, as a part of their five-player core. The star of India's recent World Cup 2025 semifinal victory against Australia, Rodrigues will take over the leadership role for the upcoming cycle/season.

Rodrigues had been identified as a central figure in Delhi's long-term plans from the beginning. She was the first player the franchise bid for in the inaugural auction, in 2023, and was the first of the five retentions DC announced ahead of the next cycle. Delhi's other retentions included Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland (Australia), Marizanne Kapp (South Africa), and uncapped U-19 World Cup winning captain Niki Prasad. While the four internationals all were retained for an equal INR 2.2 crore, Niki was kept on the roster for INR 60 lakh.

As such, DC did not have an RTM option on the table and were out-bid by UP Warriorz at the auction in their attempt to bring back Lanning to the mix. Lanning went to UPW for INR 1.9 crore. Rodrigues' promotion, therefore, comes on expected lines.

Rodrigues played a key role in India's maiden World Cup win, starting with a phenomenal 127* in a record 340-run chase against Australia to make the title clash, where they beat South Africa.

At DC, Rodrigues has played all 27 games across the three-year cycle, tallying 507 runs in 24 innings at 28.16 and a strike-rate of 139.66.