Ahead of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL), the three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals (DC) are set to announce their new captain for the upcoming season on Sunday evening.
DC were previously captained by Australia’s multiple World Cup-winning skipper, Meg Lanning. However, they fell short of winning the WPL title in 2023, 2024, and 2025. With Meg released by the franchise and joining UP Warriorz (UPW) at the mega auction last month, the team faces a leadership void.
India batter Jemimah Rodrigues and South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt are reportedly in the running to be DC’s new captain. “Jemimah had been DC’s vice-captain for three seasons, while Laura has considerable international leadership experience by leading the Proteas. It will be interesting to see who they go with,” said a source familiar with the matter.
The announcement of the new captain will be made live on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network at 6 PM on Sunday, coinciding with India’s opening T20I against Sri Lanka at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Barring any last-minute changes, DC might opt for an Indian skipper, based on co-owner Parth Jindal’s comments during the mega auction.
“I think we are very clear that we would like to have an Indian as the captain. So depending on who else we land, we already have our mind made up. But let’s see what happens; I mean Laura will add a lot of leadership (qualities) to the dressing room. But we are clear that we want to go with an Indian captain,” Jindal stated in the press conference during the mega auction.
DC will kick off their 2026 WPL campaign against defending champions and two-time winners Mumbai Inddigihunt at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 10. This season marks the first time WPL will be played in the January-February window, with the final scheduled at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on February 5.