• Source:JND

WPL 2026: The veteran South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp has thrown her weight behind swashbuckling batter Jemimah Rodrigues as the ideal candidate to succeed Harmanpreet Kaur as India's women's cricket captain.

Rodrigues, who recently took over as Delhi Capitals' skipper for the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL), has left a strong impression on Kapp with her leadership skills and ability to connect with the team.

Kapp on Monday acknowledged that losing Australian great Meg Lanning was "big" but said Rodrigues is the right candidate.

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"Look, I'm not going to lie. Losing Meg as a captain is obviously a big thing. She's a very successful captain, not only for DC, but in world cricket in general. But I mentioned, actually, a couple of years ago, when they asked me who should India's next captain be, I actually said Jemima," Kapp said during a virtual interaction.

"I feel like she's one of those players who can bring a team together, just her personality and a caring factor, the way she is. I feel like she's always been a leader. And look, there will be challenges. Even if you are an experienced captain, there will always be challenges. I feel Jemima has a lot of senior players around her," she added.

"We still have a lot of players here that have been here before. I mean, management is still the same. So she has a lot of support if she does struggle. But I believe Jemima will take this opportunity with both hands, and I think she'll be very successful," Kapp added.

Kapp attributed Delhi Capitals' runner-up finishes to a rich blend of ill fortune and a collective underwielding on the big day.

"I don't think it's a case of pressure. We've done so well over the past three years. I feel like at some stages, it was just a bit of bad luck," she added.

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"First season, I think we lost three wickets with full tosses that on any other day could have ended up being no balls. Then, in the second year, it was probably the slowest wicket we played on ... so it's a mixed bag of bad luck and us not playing too well, not having our best days in the finals," Kapp further stated.

The Capitals will begin their campaign on January 10, taking on two-time champions Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.


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