WPL: Delhi Capitals releases captain Meg Lanning; retains India's two World Cup-winning stars

New Delhi [India], November 6 (ANI): Delhi Capitals on Thursday announced the retention of key players as the team gears up for the new cycle of the Women's Premier League (WPL). In a surprise decision, the franchise has decided to release the experienced Australian batter Meg Lanning, who captained the Delhi Capitals to three consecutive finals but returned empty-handed.

After comprehensive assessments, the three-time finalists have decided to retain Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland and Niki Prasad ahead of this year's mega auction. Apart from Lanning, notable faces such as Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jess Jonassen, and Radha Yadav have also been released before the auction.

Jemimah and Shafali were part of India's triumphant World Cup-winning squad a few days ago, making match-winning contributions in the semi-finals and the final, which highlight the strength and quality within the Capitals' team.

"This decision reflects the franchise's commitment to maintaining continuity and consistency, and building a competitive, dynamic squad. The management, coaching staff, and analysts have worked tirelessly to assess player performances and contributions, ensuring the team is well-positioned for sustained success," Delhi Capitals said.

Speaking on the occasion, Parth Jindal, Co-owner of Delhi Capitals and Founder of JSW Sports, said, as quoted from the franchise's official website, "Letting go of players from such a consistent, high-performing squad is never easy, but that's the challenge that comes with a mega auction. Every player has played a pivotal role in our journey so far. Although we narrowly missed lifting the trophy, we're immensely proud of what this group has achieved in the first three seasons."

"We're very satisfied with our retentions. Jemi, Shafali, Marizanne, Annabel and Niki form a strong core for us to build around. My best wishes to all the players, both retained and released, for the next phase of their careers. We're eagerly looking forward to the first-ever WPL mega auction. It promises to be exciting, and we hope this is the year we go one step further," he added.

Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Chairman and Co-Owner of Delhi Capitals, added, "The WPL has been an incredible journey of growth, both for the sport and for women's cricket in India. We're extremely proud of how this team has performed over the first three seasons -- consistently reaching the finals and setting benchmarks of professionalism and team spirit. As we enter a new cycle, our focus remains on nurturing the immense talent we already have in our ranks and building around it. The upcoming mega auction marks an exciting new chapter, and we're confident the Delhi Capitals family will continue to inspire fans and strive to bring home the trophy this year."

Jonathan Batty, Head Coach of Delhi Capitals, said, "We've played some outstanding cricket over the first three seasons. This was a tight-knit group that performed as a cohesive unit, and that togetherness reflected in our results. It's always difficult to release players after sharing such a successful journey, but that's the nature of the WPL and the challenge that comes with it. We're very happy with the players we've retained, and our focus now will be on building the rest of the squad around this strong core. It's going to be an exciting auction, and we're looking forward to what lies ahead."

The WPL 2026 Mega Auction will be held in the last week of November 2025. Delhi Capitals is the only franchise to have reached the final in all editions of the tournament so far.

Retained Players List: Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Niki Prasad

Released Players List: Meg Lanning, Sneha Deepthi, Alice Capsey, Arundhati Reddy, Jess Jonassen, Minnu Mani, N Charani, Shikha Pandey, Nandini Kashyap, Sarah Bryce, Taniyaa Bhatia, Radha Yadav, Titas Sadhu. (ANI)

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