 "Delhi Capitals in WPL")
Delhi Capitals (DC) will aim to finish the second edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL 2024) as the winner after missing the glory by a whisker in 2023. DC is one of the strong teams in WPL 2024, with former Aussie skipper Meg Lanning at the helm of affairs.
Ahead of WPL 2024, Delhi bought three players in the auction: Annabel Sutherland, Aparna Mondal, and Ashwani Kumari.
Delhi Capitals SWOT analysis for WPL 2024:
Strengths
- Delhi Capitals's strengths have been the variety in their bowling line-up. However, their batting is equally strong, having the likes of Lanning, Shafali Varma and Jemmimah Rodriques.
- South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp was exceptional the previous season and picked nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul against Gujarat Giants. Kapp was equally good with the bat, averaging 44.25 at a strike rate of 121.23
- Spinner Jess Jonassen and the India bowling duo of Shikha Pandey and Radhav Yadav provide the desired strength to the Delhi Capitals squad.
- Poonam Yadav's strong show in the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal One Day Trophy adds another dimension to DC's bowling lineup.
Weakness
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- Despite a strong batting lineup, the Capitals' inability to field enough left-handers could be a disadvantage. Except for Jess Jonassen, DC needs a reliable left-handed hitter who can match up with leg- and left-arm-spinners.
- Their shortcomings were made clear after Amelia Kerr, Saika Ishaque, and Hayley Matthews made things difficult for them in the league and the previous season's championship game.
- Last season, Delhi had the luxury of playing an extra overseas player, but that option was unavailable after they released Tara Norris. The USA pacer picked a five-wicket haul against Royal Challengers Bangalore in WPL 2023.
Opportunity
Delhi Capitals should give Jonassen a chance to bat at the top of the batting order. The previous season, she batted mostly in the middle order. However, she has done well at the top for Brisbane Head in the Women's Big Bash League.
Poonam Yadav is expected to start for Delhi Capitals from the word go on the back of a superb show in the domestic circuit. Her inclusion gives Delhi the much-needed variety in the bowling line-up.
Threats
The Australian all-rounder Annabel Sutherland is a promising young player, and the Capitals bought her for Rs 2 crore. Nonetheless, Sutherland, 22, struggled to handle the demands of playing in the WPL the previous season.
Sutherland leaked runs at an economy rate of 11.52 and took just three wickets in 4 games. The young player gave up 24 runs in one of the games when the UP Warriorz needed 19 runs to win the final over.
However, she could take the confidence from her Test batting prowess. Ahead of the start of WPL 2024, Sutherland became the fastest batter to score a double ton in women's Test history.
Delhi Capitals' squad
| Delhi Capitals squad and players’ salary for WPL 2024 | |
| Player | Salary |
| Annabel Sutherland | Rs 2 crore |
| Aparna Mondal | Rs 10 lakh |
| Ashwani Kumari | Rs 10 lakh |
| Alice Capsey | Rs 75 lakh |
| Arundhati Reddy | Rs 30 lakh |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | Rs 2.2 crore |
| Jess Jonassen | Rs 50 Lakh |
| Laura Harris | Rs 45 Lakh |
| Marizanne Kapp | Rs 1.5 crore |
| Meg Lanning | Rs 1.1 crore |
| Minnu Mani | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Poonam Yadav | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Radha Yadav | Rs 40 lakh |
| Shafali Verma | Rs 2 crore |
| Shikha Pandey | Rs 60 Lakh |
| Sneha Deepthi | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Taniya Bhatia | Rs 30 Lakh |
| Titas Sadhu | Rs 25 Lakh |
