They finished at the top of the table for three consecutive seasons.
Delhi Capitals have entered the Women’s Premier League final for all three seasons so far. However, in the upcoming fourth edition, the DC Women will aim to break their trophy drought. Before the season kicks off on January 9, here is all you need to know about the Delhi Capitals WPL 2026.
They have a new and young captain in Jemimah Rodrigues. Meg Lanning, who led the team for three years, has moved to UP Warriorz after the mega auction in November last year.
The franchise took advantage of the mega auction and did a squad overhaul. They kept their core intact with retentions of Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Taniya Bhatia, Niki Prasad, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, and their new captain. But they let go of several mainstays like Alice Capsey, Jess Jonassen, Arundhati Reddy, Titas Sadhu, and more.
Check out the full Delhi Capitals squad for WPL 2026 here.
Jemimah Rodrigues (C), Taniya Bhatia (WK), Deeya Yadav, Chinelle Henry, Lizelle Lee, Madiwala Mamatha (WK), Niki Prasad, Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, Lucy Hamilton, Marizanne Kapp, Alana King, Sneh Rana, Minnu Mani, Shree Charani, and Nandani Sharma.
(Annabel Sutherland has withdrawn from the upcoming WPL 2026)
DC Women will kick off their tournament on January 10 against the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. The second leg of the WPL 2026 will move to the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. They will play four matches each at both venues, one against each of the other four teams.
Check out the full Delhi Capitals fixtures in WPL 2026 here.
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Time (IST) |
| January 10 | Mumbai Indians | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| January 11 | Gujarat Giants | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| January 14 | UP Warriorz | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| January 17 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Navi Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| January 20 | Mumbai Indians | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
| January 24 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
| January 27 | Gujarat Giants | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
| February 1 | UP Warriorz | Vadodara | 7:30 PM |
A maximum of four overseas players are allowed to be a part of the playing XI. Let’s look at how the Delhi Capitals best XI will shape up for WPL 2026.
Delhi Capitals qualified for the final for three seasons straight, starting from WPL 2023. An experienced leader in Meg Lanning brought balance to the squad. With the bat, she is Delhi’s all-time top-scorer with 900+ runs. Her heroics included two seasons of 300+ scores and an Orange Cap in the inaugural season. However, as the team were runners-up for all three editions, she was released by the franchise.
Not only has this led to an imbalance, but the team also lacks other major roles. The team strengthened the batting department, yet there’s a lack of left-handed batters, while the bowling department is compromised too. They don’t have an overseas wicket-keeper batter or a specialist overseas bowler. They have three Indian bowlers, all pretty young to play the high-octane league.
The performance of the team will depend on how their key players perform. Most likely, it’ll be tough for Delhi Capitals to reach the top two spots this season.
The onus of taking the team across the line would be more on the batting department. Let’s check the key players for Delhi Capitals WPL 2026.
Statistically, in T20I cricket, Jemi has performed better at No.3. The captain should keep her position in the WPL and use her intelligent way of playing at the top. Rodrigues can anchor the innings as well as use brute force to amp up the scoreboard. Additionally, the 25-year-old should make smart bowling rotations to use her overseas slots wisely.
Shafali Verma’s talent is not unknown to the world. After Lanning, she has been the top scorer for Delhi across three seaons. Verma surpassed Lanning in the last edition for a 300+ run campaign. Verma should continue her form at the top. Instead of giving good starts, the 21-year-old should play a longer innings for Delhi Capitals WPL 2026.
The Protea batter’s strike rate is closer to 100 at the top. But she carries experience from a decade-long international career. It will be imperative for Laura Wolvaardt to be in tandem with Shafali Verma as openers. Ideally, at least one of them needs to stay on the crease till 12-15 overs for Delhi Capitals to put a respectable total or chase bigger targets.
Arguably, one of the most important players in the DC squad is Marizanne Kapp. She is also the senior-most player, and her contributions will be invaluable to the team in all departments. The all-rounder’s four overs need to be used wisely by Jemi to not only restrict the run-rate, but also pick up quick wickets. With the bat, Kapp would be ideal at No.4 as damage control after any top order collapses.
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