Jemimah Rodrigues’ impressive-year just seems to get even better and better. Just a few weeks back, she was part of a remarkable show by the Indian team in the Women’s World Cup. Now, Jemimah has been named the captain of the Delhi Capitals for the WPL 2026 season, replacing none other than Meg Lanning, the all-time legend of the Sydney Thunder.
The change in leadership was in the offing after Lanning opted for the UP Warriorz for Rs 1.90 crore, thus ending her tenure with the Capitals successfully. Delhi had created hype over the news with the release of a promo video yesterday, and finally, the wait came to an end today as Jemimah was named as the captain.
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Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal had hinted earlier that they were keen on passing on the mantle to an Indian player, even though they had players like South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt in their side, who led her team to the World Cup final and even ended up as the tournament's leading run-getter. Ultimately, it was Jemimah's performance and familiarity with the environment that made her the obvious choice.
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“I feel honored and thankful for this opportunity. It is an absolute honour to be named captain of the Delhi Capitals. I’m deeply thankful to the owners and support staff for trusting me with this responsibility. Winning the World Cup and now leading a franchise that has been so close to my heart since the first WPL season makes this a dream year for me and my family,” she said in a statement released by her franchise.
Jemimah said this while reacting to her appointment as the captain of Delhi Capitals in the WPL.
“Since being in DC, she has been able to connect with the players and share her passion for lacrosse with them,” said Powell. “She talks about being able to build friendships with all the players and how they are her family now.”
“The Capitals are my family,” said Roest. “Although I will miss a few players from the previous cycle, I am looking forward to making new memories with familiar and new players. We have a good team and maybe we can at last cross the line.”
Jemimah's meteoric rise to captaincy is fuelled by an unforgettable World Cup performance so far. Her campaign has had a wobbly start with a duck against Sri Lanka and South Africa, followed by being left out of the England contest. However, her entry at No. 4 proved to be a game-changer for her. She made a statement with a classy 76 off 55 against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai and then a definitive statement with her knock against Australia in the semifinal game against Australia.
Her Glamourous 127 created the record for the best successful run chase in Women's ODIs, apart from marking the end of Australia's unbeaten World Cup streak of 16 matches. However, Jemimah finished the tournament as the best Indian bat, averaging 58.40, having mustered 292 runs.
There was no pause after the World Cup as well. She moved directly to Australia to play for the side of Brisbane Heat in the Women's Big Bash League before sustaining this performance in the homeland with a elegant knock of 69 off 44 against Sri Lanka in the eight-wicket victory in Visakhapatnam.”
Jemimah's WPL Stats
In the WPL as yet, Jemimah has contributed a total of 507 runs from 27 matches, with an average and strike rate of 28.16 and 139.66, respectively, and three fifty scores. And as a captain, she would be enthusiastic to make Delhi Capitals’ consistency translate into championships. The Capitals will start their WPL 2026 season on January 10 when they face the Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. And Jemimah will be the one who draws maximum attention when she embarks on the next chapter of her rapidly changing life.