WPL 2023: Know Your Team – Delhi Capitals

The first ever WPL auctions were flourishingly carried out on Monday, 13^th February. All eyes were set on the world’s bests, as the five teams strategically picked among the talented lot in order to complete their sides.

A total of 409 players went under the hammer. Interestingly, they were a filtered bunch, out of the total of 1525 players registered for the auctions. Delhi Capitals happened to have been among the most active bidders at the auction. They successfully formed a team of 18 players with 6 overseas. Here’s all that you need to know about the formation of Delhi Capitals.

Team Formation

The bidders picked some of the finest Indian, English and Australian players. Each team was given a budget of Rs. 12 crore and a maximum of 18 players were to be bought. A maximum of 6 overseas players were allowed to be a part of the team.

Delhi Capitals incorporated a simple strategy by abstaining from spending on the marquee players. As mentioned by their co-owner Parth Jindal, “People spent a lot on the marquee players and that didn’t leave much money for some of the other Indians. People spent almost 30% of their purses on one player. Smriti Mandhana went for INR 3.4 crore out of 12 [crore], that’s 27-28% of their purse. That’s like spending 30 crore on one player in the men’s IPL. You can’t do that! According to me, you can’t do that, but they did.”

Capitals were able to form their team by spending the minimum as compared to all others. They completed their bids at a sum of Rs. 11.65 crore and bagged players like Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma. They also participated in the bids for some big-ticket players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry but due to a lack of interest in spending hefty sums, the team settled for other fine players.

While other teams shot their bids on some fine players from around the globe, Delhi Capitals seemed lopsided without a master-class player. Smriti Mandhana had already proven to be the most expensive and players like Sophie Ecclestone and Sophie Devine had already found home when Delhi Capitals set their eye on Jemimah Rodrigues and picked her at a cost of Rs. 2.20 crore.

They then picked players like Shafali Verma, Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav. Marizanne Kapp and Meg Lanning were added to their overseas’ list. Midway through the auctions, Delhi Capitals were still on top of the Purse Availability list. They now had to pick 11 more players with Rs. 3.95 crores pending in their purse.

Further, Alice Capsey, Laura Harris and Jess Jonassen were added to the squad which filled in their overseas’ list. Tara Norris became the only player from Associate countries to have been a part of the WPL.

WPL 2023: Delhi Capitals – Best Buys

Delhi Capitals might have not invested heftily in the available players, but they definitely have picked the bests.

Jemimah Rodrigues is expected to shine at the WPL. Jemimah proved to be the most expensive player bought by Delhi Capitals. Owners and the support staff have also put huge faith in the player as stated in their previous interviews. The player seems to have regained her form after a few months of bad patches. Mumbai being her home town, Jemimah is expected to shoulder some crucial responsibility for the team.

Meg Lanning is a master class. Her international experience and skills will be her contribution to the side. Lanning is among the oldest players on board, which also means she could be trusted with captaincy and other major responsibilities.

Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen are among the finest all-rounders picked by the team. Their contribution on international levels is known to all. The two players will be expected to add on to the team’s batting and bowling sides.

Alice Capsey and Shafali Verma are the two youngsters to look out for. Their international contribution has already been significant. Alice Capsey’s outstanding performance at the T20 World Cup so far and Shafali Verma’s flawless leadership at the U19 T20 World Cup, which won India it’s maiden trophy are success stories of these two players, displaying their dedication and courageous attitude on the field.

Shikha Pandey, and Taniya Bhatia are among other players who have shouldered huge responsibilities in the past.

Tara Norris is another player to look out for. She is the only player to make it to a final squad out of 19 players picked from Associate countries.

With this Delhi Capitals formed their team of 18 players in WPL 2023 which is as follows:

Jemimah Rodrigues (India); Meg Lanning (Aus); Shafali Verma (India); Radha Yadav (India); Shikha Pandey (India); Marizanne Kapp (SA); Titas Sadhu (India); Alice Capsey (Eng); Laura Harris (Aus); Jasia Akhter (India); Minnu Mani (India); Tara Norris (USA); Taniya Bhatia (India); Poonam Yadav (India); Jess Jonassen (Aus); Sneha Deepthi (India); Aparna Mondal (India); Arundhati Reddy (India)

Head Coach: Jonathan Batty

Asst. Coaches: Hemlata Kala, Lisa Keightley

Fielding Coach: Biju George

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