New Delhi [India], December 24 : Delhi Capitals (DC) CEO Sunil Gupta hailed the Indian women's cricket team star player Jemimah Rodrigues, expressing delight that the franchise could appoint her as the team's captain ahead of the Women's Premier League (WPL) season 2026.
Delhi Capitals on Tuesday announced the appointment of Jemimah Rodrigues as captain ahead of the 2026 season of the WPL.
While speaking toat the Delhi Capitals School Cup 2025 final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, Sunil Gupta praised Jemimah's growth as a player and leader since being their first WPL auction pick, highlighting her positive influence on the team and expressing pride in appointing her as captain for the upcoming season.
"I think it's an incredible journey for her. If you recall, Jemmy was our first pick when the WPL auction happened three years back. We've seen her transition into a great player and a great leader. She's always somebody who's great around the squad, lifts up the energy of the entire dressing room. And I think getting into a new cycle, we're incredibly proud that we could appoint her as a captain. And we're looking forward to the rest of the season," Sunil Gupta told ANI.
He said India's ODI World Cup win at home was a huge moment for women's sports, boosting excitement around women's cricket and inspiring young girls to pursue the game more seriously, with the WPL creating new opportunities for them.
"I think the World Cup and the fact that it happened in India and the Indian team won was a massive moment for women's sport in India. And we've seen that in the last two months, the intensity, the excitement around the women's game has just gone up. And the WPL is opening up doors and opportunities for young girls who are looking at these names, household names now, and also looking at them and looking at potentially pursuing cricket in a lot more, in a more serious way. I think that's just great for the future of Indian sport," said Sunil Gupta.
He said that DC has built a strong, balanced squad combining international stars, experienced players and emerging talent, and expressed excitement for their first game of the WPL 2026, which they will play against Mumbai Indians on January 10, 2026.
"I think we've managed to come out of the auction with a very solid squad. A mix of both international and domestic players, a mix of both well-experienced as well as budding talent. So all in all, a very, very balanced squad. And yeah, in about a couple of weeks, we play our first game. So we can't wait for that," he concluded.
In the DC School Cup 2025 final, Modern School Barakhamba Road were crowned champions in both the boys and girls categories after the girls beat DPS RK Puram by 133 runs and the boys defeated St Thomas School by 57 runs, marking the successful completion of the tournament.
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