Jemimah Rodrigues aims to blend data with on-field instinct while leading DC in WPL 2026

New Delhi, Jan 6 Ahead of captaining Delhi Capitals (DC) for the first time in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Jemimah Rodrigues said she will rely on combining her usual meticulous preparation with on-field instinct as she takes charge of leading the franchise for the first time in the upcoming season starting on January 9.

Jemimah had been the vice-captain to Australia’s multiple-time World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning when DC reached the finals of the WPL in the first three seasons. But with Meg becoming the skipper of UP Warriorz (UPW), Jemimah steps into the leadership role for DC.

Jemimah was DC’s first pick in the first-ever WPL auction and is coming with high confidence of playing a pivotal role in India’s historic Women’s ODI World Cup triumph, with her unbeaten 127 powering India to an unforgettable record chase of 339 against Australia in the semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

“I think as a captain, it is important for me, and this is also my personality as a cricketer, that I love to do my preparations, whether it's watching videos, even as a batter. In batting, you can't plan as much because it's more of a reaction to what the bowler does. But I want to know what all the bowlers have in their armoury, like, do they have slower ball, bouncer, yorkers, and I like to analyse all those things and just react once I go there,” said Jemimah in response to an IANS query in the pre-season press conference on Tuesday.

“So I like to prepare, and I think it's the same thing with captaincy. I think it's important to have those analyses for every game. But I think once I step on the field, I just let my instincts take over because I think sometimes you've got to trust your gut feeling and just go with what's right.

“Things, and the decisions may go right, or may not go right. But I think it's important for me to know that what I did was with the right intention, and at the same time, it was what my gut said, and I'll just keep learning from there," she added.

Jemimah also made it clear that her natural approach and vivacious personality won’t change with being DC’s captain, though she will be more involved than ever in making decisions in a game. “Firstly, my personality won't change as much. But if you've noticed, every time I step on the field, I get into my zone, whether I'm batting or involved on the field, with maybe a few adjustments in field placements.

“In the Indian team, my responsibility was also to make sure the right fielders are in the right positions and also at the right angles. So, I've been very involved with that. Because I've also led Mumbai for many years, I think my captaincy will be more on the calmer side.

“But at the same time, I like to think a little more aggressively, and that is kind of my side. But I don't think I will change my personality or style; I'll just be a little more involved in making more decisions,” she elaborated.

From being Meg’s deputy for three years, Jemimah said the lesson of being calm and not panicking will be forever etched in her memory. “From Meg only I learnt because it was one of the matches we played in Delhi in the second season, where we won by one run (against RCB), and I just went to Meg, and I asked her, ‘Meg, weren't you nervous? I mean, it went down the wire.

“She was like, “Jemi, to be honest, I was nervous. I was like, ‘Wait, it didn't even show on your face. ’ I just realised that if, as a captain, I start panicking there, my team's going to panic. But if I stay calm, my team's going to stay calm, and I think I really love that.

“That was one big learning for me because I was right there, I lived that moment also, and I really learnt that. At the same time, she is very calm but very aggressive in her thinking, and that's the other thing I learnt from Meg,” she elaborated.

From her Indian team skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah took learnings in terms of performing when it matters the most and having good bonding with the bowling group, though she also stressed having her own leadership style.

“One thing I've also learned is that everyone has a different style of captaincy. I think my biggest learning would be to find your own style. But at the same time, I get to learn so much. Like Harry di, she's more of the aggressive captain. She wants to be involved in everything that's happening, and she wants to lead from the front, especially on the big stage.

“When the moment matters the most, I think Harry di is always the one who likes, I want to go there and perform and make sure my team wins. Then from Smriti, I've learned how to stay calm. She's very tactical in how she plans and how she goes about her decisions. She's a very smart cricketer, I would say.

“So she has the plans in place. But at the same time, she's very calm, and she understands her bowlers well. The relations the bowlers have with her, I think, are a very big learning, and it's a very important thing as a captain to have,” elaborated Jemimah.

Jemimah further stated that the captaincy responsibility at DC would enhance her own performance while preparing her for future leadership roles within the Indian team set-up. “I've always enjoyed leading, especially having led my state team and even the Challengers trophy, the zone team a lot in domestic. I genuinely feel that having that added responsibility as a leader gets the best out of me because, as a leader, you have to lead from the front.

“I think that's the motivation for me, and it really gets the best out of me. Definitely leading a side in the WPL, it's going to be great learning for me, and a great experience at the same time. It will not just develop me as a captain, but also as a player, because you'll have to start thinking out of the box.

“You'll have to throughout the time, where I will always be thinking what the batter is going to do or what the bowler is going to do. That might even help me going forward in the Indian team, whether it is as a leadership role or whether maybe in the future, the other leadership roles that are going to come,” she said.

Jemimah signed off by highlighting the WPL's impact on Indian women's cricket, pointing to the recent ODI World Cup success and the emergence of N Sree Charani and Kranti Gaud. “I think we've seen what the WPL has done - we've got some extraordinary cricketers. I think you would have seen them stand out in our World Cup (campaign).

“From last time, the third season's WPL, the standouts have been Charani and Kranti. I think they are the WPL's products. So, it's great to see the kind of last six-seven months they've had - they've already won a World Cup. So, it's been great to see the kind of growth that's going to happen. Every year, what I've experienced is that it just keeps getting better and better.

“It's not just for the youngsters coming up, actually, it's also for the experienced players because the kind of quality matches you play here, that just makes you, after every season, come out as a better cricketer. That's what this WPL has done, and it's going to do, and I can't wait to see the rise of women's cricket in India and also all over the world.”

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