South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp praised Jemimah Rodrigues' leadership skills ahead of the upcoming edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL). Kapp is set to play under Rodrigues' captaincy in WPL 2026. The Indian batter has been named skipper of Delhi Capitals, replacing Meg Lanning, who will lead the UP Warriorz.
While Rodrigues has captained Mumbai at the state level, she has not taken the leadership role in the WPL or in the international circuit.
During a recent interview, Kapp explained
some of the qualities which could make Rodrigues a fine captain.
"I actually said a couple of years ago that Jemimah should be India's next captain. She's always been a leader. Her personality, the way she brings people together, the caring factor, that all matters. Even experienced captains face challenges. Jemimah has a lot of senior players around her, and I think she'll take this opportunity with both hands,” Kapp said in an interview with Cricbuzz.
Losing Meg as a captain is obviously a big thing: Kapp
Kapp also admitted that losing Lanning as captain was a massive setback for the Capitals. Lanning had guided the Capitals to top the table in all three editions of the WPL and helped them finish as runners-up. With five World Cup titles as captain, she is third on the list of leading run-getters in WPL history.
"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," Kapp added.
Coming back to Jemimah, the right-handed batter had a topsy-turvy campaign in the Women's ODI World Cup last year. She was dismissed for ducks against Sri Lanka and South Africa before being dropped. However, she bounced back commendably and scored a memorable century in the semi-final against Australia. In the marquee event, Jemimah finished as India's third-highest run-scorer behind openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, averaging a staggering 58.40.
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