WPL 2023: Meg Lanning named Delhi Capitals captain, Jemimah Rodrigues to be vice-captain

Mumbai, March 2 (IANS) Australia's multiple World Cups-winning skipper Meg Lanning was on Thursday appointed as the captain of the Delhi Capitals side ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

Meg, a premier right-handed batter, had recently led Australia to their third straight ICC Women's T20 World Cup title in South Africa. She also became the first cricketer to lead the side in 100 T20Is, through the 19-run win over hosts South Africa in the final of 2023 Women's T20 World Cup at Newlands, Cape Town.

"I feel proud to be a part of the Delhi Capitals and it's a huge honour for me to be named Captain. I am very much looking forward to bringing the team together and getting to know everyone. I can't wait to get started," Lanning said at an event here.

During the event, where the Delhi Capitals squad was introduced, India's top-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues was named as vice-captain of the franchise for WPL 2023.

"We've been dreaming about this tournament for a very long time. The entire Indian team got emotional while watching the Auction as the competition was finally happening. I am really looking forward to being part of the Delhi Capitals," said Rodrigues, who has scored over 1,700 runs in T20Is.

With the Women's T20 World Cup title win at Cape Town, Meg also overtook Ricky Ponting for the captain with the greatest number of ICC titles. She had previously captained Australia to 2014, 2018 and 2020 T20 World Cup wins and 2022 ODI World Cup title, apart from a gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

"The quality of cricket in India is phenomenal. Our team has a good balance between youngsters such as Shafali Verma, who is just starting to make a name for herself and some really experienced players such as Meg Lanning," said head coach Jonathan Batty.

Lanning is the third Australia player to lead a WPL team, with Beth Mooney captaining Gujarat Giants' captain and Alyssa Healy being the skipper of UP Warriorz. Mumbai Indians will be led by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Royal Challengers by her national team deputy, Smriti Mandhana.

"This has been a whirlwind time for us. We acquired the best cricketers and put together the right mix of players in the Auction. The IPL was a game-changer for global cricket and I firmly believe that the Women's Premier League will have the same impact," stated Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra.

Delhi Capitals will be opening their WPL 2023 campaign on March 5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Delhi Capitals squad: Meg Lanning (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues (vice-captain), Alice Capsey, Shikha Pandey, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris, Radha Yadav, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Taniyaa Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Sneha Deepthi, Arundhati Reddy, Titas Sadhu, Minnu Mani, Jasia Akhter, Tara Norris, and Aparna Mondal