Jemimah Rodrigues vs Shafali Verma: Who should captain Delhi Capitals in WPL 2026?

Delhi Capitals to have new captain for WPL 2026 [Source: @wplt20/X.com]

With Meg Lanning no longer part of Delhi Capitals Women (DC-W), the big question is who leads DC now? Despite playing three consecutive finals, Delhi are yet to win a single title in WPL.

Moreover, DC-W owner Parth Jindal made it clear that his franchise will have an Indian captain in the upcoming WPL 2026 season.

After the mega-auction, the two strongest Indian options are Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma.

Both are match-winners and leaders in their own way. But their styles are very different. Here’s a simple, honest look at who might be the better choice.

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Shafali Verma - The fearless leader option

(Table - Shafali Verma's WPL stats)

21-year-old Shafali Verma is pure aggression. As an opener, she sets the tone of the innings within the first few overs. That mindset can be very powerful for a captain. 

Recently in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final, she scored 87 runs and also picked 2 wickets to showcase her clutch mentality. 

In WPL, Verma has scored 865 runs in 27 games with a 36.04 average and six fifties. 

However, the drawback for her is that she has no captaincy experience and is relatively young. At 21, her career is yet to peak. Leading a successful franchise like DC-W could be a daunting challenge for her.

She might succumb to pressure, and as collateral damage, Shafali’s form as an explosive opener might also take a hit. 

Shafali Verma’s game is built around explosive batting. On days it doesn’t come off, it might affect on-field decisions and calmness. 

Jemimah Rodrigues - The calm thinker

(Table - Jemimah Rodrigues' WPL stats)

India’s Women’s World Cup hero Jemimah Rodrigues brings a very different energy. She has a good cricketing brain, communication skills, and stability. Coaches and teammates often see her as a natural leader.

Moreover, in the World Cup semi-final against Australia, she hammered a clutch hundred with calm under extreme pressure. 

Jemimah Rodrigues’ strengths include: 

• Very good game awareness
• Talks a lot to bowlers and fielders
• Calm under pressure
• Strong bond with both Indian and overseas players

Like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues also lacks captaincy experience. However, she has led teams at junior and domestic levels and served as vice-captain for India in the past.

She may not have a long list of senior team captaincy stats, but she clearly has more leadership exposure. So in experience, Jemimah completely overpowers Shafali.  

Who is the right captaincy fit for DC-W?

Realistically, Jemimah Rodrigues looks like the safer and smarter captaincy choice right now.

With big international names like Laura Wolvaardt, Kapp, and Sutherland already in the squad, DC don’t need a captain who only leads with the bat. 

They need someone who can manage egos, think tactically, and stay calm in crunch moments, and Jemimah fits that role better.

Shafali Verma can still be the team’s X-factor match-winner, while Jemimah can be the brain shaping the game.

For DC’s first WPL title push, Jemimah Rodrigues as captain and Shafali Verma as vice-captain feels like the perfect balance.

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