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Delhi Capitals have named Australian skipper Meg Lanning as their captain for inaugural edition of Women Premier League (WPL) 2023. Lanning recently led Australia to their sixth T20 World Cup trophy by beating hosts South Africa in the final by 19 runs. India’s top-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been named Lanning’s deputy ahead of clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 5.
30-year-old Lanning is the only women cricketer to captain a side in 100 T20Is. She has 3,405 runs from 121 innings at an average of 36.61 including two centuries and 15 half-centuries. Her highest score is 133 not out.
"It's a very proud moment for me, firstly to be involved with Delhi Capitals and then to lead them. It's about enjoying yourself, getting the best out of yourself,” Lanning said on March 2.
"WPL is a massive moment for the sport, it's the logical next step and makes a lot of sense. Cricket in India is people's lives and the fact that WPL is up and running, and to be involved in something like this, is amazing. It's only going to grow in the coming years," she added.
Vice-captain Rodrigues has scored 1,704 runs from 70 innings at an average of 29.89 including 10 half-centuries. As the Delhi-based franchise unveiled the captain's name, Rodrigues poked fun at RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana while answering a question: “Smriti who? (laughs) We were honestly hoping to be in different teams because we wanted to face each other. I will ignore her if when I see her on the ground.”
DC squad is studded with big hitters like Shafali Verma and Alice Capsey. Also, they have death overs speciallist Jess Jonassen at their disposal.
DC squad: Meg Lanning (c), Jemimah Rodrigues (vc), Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Taniya Bhatia, Minnu Mani, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Titas Sadhu, Tara Norris, Jasia Akhter and Aparna Mondal
