The Delhi Capitals (DC) opted to retain their full quota of five players ahead of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction, but the list contains a major surprise. The three-time finalists decided to release their captain Meg Lanning. It came as shocking decision considering Lanning is one of the most decorated captains in cricket history and had successfully led the Capitals to the WPL final in each of the first three seasons.
Delhi Capitals make shock retention call
The franchise instead utilized their overseas slots to retain star all-rounders Marizanne Kapp and Annabel Sutherland, prioritizing their all-round skills over Lanning's leadership and batting prowess.
India's World Cup superstar retained
While Lanning was let go, the Delhi Capitals secured key Indian talent to form the nucleus of their squad. They retained both Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, who were recently instrumental in India's historic Women's World Cup triumph, with Rodrigues winning the Player of the Match award in the semi-final and Verma taking the honour in the final. Demonstrating a focus on youth and future leadership, DC also retained uncapped Indian star Niki Prasad, who successfully captained India to the U-19 World Cup title in 2025.
Delhi Capitals' retention list:
Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs. 2.2 crore)
Shafali Verma (Rs. 2.2 crore)
Annabel Sutherland (Rs 2.2 crore)
Marizanne Kapp (Rs 2.2 crore)
Niki Prasad (uncapped) (Rs. 50 lakh)
Delhi Capitals' released players list:
Meg Lanning, Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jess Jonassen, Minnu Mani, N Charani, Nandini Kashyap, Radha Yadav, Sarah Bryce, Shikha Pandey, Sneha Deepthi, Taniyaa Bhatia, Titas Sadhu
Purse Left: Rs. 5..70 crore
RTMs Left: 0