Under Jemimah Rodrigues, Delhi Capitals aim to overcome final obstacle

Where they finished in WPL 2025: Like every season, Delhi Capitals finished as the losing finalists even in WPL 2025. It was another campaign in which they topped the points table but ended up without the trophy.

Mega-auction overhaul: With limitations on retention, Delhi Capitals were possibly the hardest hit. They had to release skipper Meg Lanning, who had led the side to three successive finals, apart from letting go of the well-rounded and experienced bowling group. Besides those who were retained, DC managed to bring back Minnu Mani, Taniyaa Bhatia and Sree Charani. They tried to cushion their losses, by roping in Chinelle Henry and Laura Wolvaardt. Their foreign picks were fairly interesting - ranging from Lizelle Lee, the retired South African opener, to Lucy Hamilton - the 19-year-old uncapped left-arm Australian quick. In the auction overhaul, the biggest miss has been in the Indian pace reserve - from being the strongest in that department to now being possibly the weakest.

Newsmaker(s): After three seasons playing Lanning's deputy, Jemimah Rodrigues gets a promotion. Annabel Sutherland, the Australian all-rounder who was retained ahead of the auctions, will be unavailable this season. Fellow Aussie, Alana King, has been drafted in as her replacement for 2026, but Sutherland's absence leaves a gaping hole in both the middle order as well as the pace department.

Watch out for: Ahead of the season, skipper Rodrigues singled out the 'fighter' Sneh Rana to watch out for. Rana's credentials and ability to deliver under pressure notwithstanding, the 31-year-old will be fighting for a place in the side in a very talented and versatile spin group.

Probable XI: Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Jemimah Rodrigues (c), Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, Chinelle Henry, Alana King, Mamatha Madiwala/Taniyaa Bhatia, Minnu Mani, Sree Charani, Nandani Sharma

Bench: Sneh Rana, Lizelle Lee, Lucy Hamilton, Deeya Yadav

Schedule: After a couple of back-to-back games to kickstart their campaign, Capitals' games are well spaced out. They will play each of their opponents once each in Navi Mumbai and Baroda, with all their games scheduled for a 7:30 PM start.

Jan 10: vs MI at 7:30 PM in Navi Mumbai

Jan 11: vs GG at 7:30 PM in Navi Mumbai

Jan 14: vs UPW at 7:30 PM in Navi Mumbai

Jan 17: vs RCB at 7:30 PM in Navi Mumbai

Jan 20: vs MI at 7:30 PM in Vadodara

Jan 24: vs RCB at 7:30 PM in Vadodara

Jan 27: vs GG at 7:30 PM in Vadodara

Feb 1: vs UPW at 7:30 PM in Vadodara