‘Abe big bash league hai kya’ – Delhi franchise name their captain and Vice-captain ahead of inaugural Women’s T20 League
The Delhi-based franchise has announced the name of their team captain for the inaugural season of the Women’s T20 League. Delhi will be led by Australian star batter Meg Lanning. Australia won the World Cup title 5 times under Lanning’s captaincy. The vice-captain of Delhi will be India’s young batter, Jemimah Rodrigues.
Apart from Delhi, Mumbai were also eyeing Lanning in the auction as the auction table saw a bidding war between Mumbai and Delhi for her. When Lanning’s name was called, Mumbai first expressed its desire to buy her but Delhi did not let this happen. The bidding war that started at INR 50 lakhs reachedINR 1.10 crores where Mumbai had to capitulate and Mag Lanning became a part of Delhi.
The 30-year-old batter is the most successful captain in the history of cricket. She has made Australia the world champion not once or twice but 5 times under her leadership. The right-handed batter’s record as captain is better than India’s former captain MS Dhoni and former legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
Meg Lanning is the most successful captain in international cricket
Australia has won 4 major trophies under Ponting’s leadership, while Dhoni has won 3 major world trophy titles. Recently, the T20 World Cup played in South Africa was also won by Australia under the leadership of Lanning. This could be the reason why Delhi named her the captain of their team.
Lanning has played 132 T20Is for Australia and scored 3405 runs in the shortest format of the game. Meanwhile, now all five franchises have named their captains. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will be seen leading Mumbai while Alyssa Healy named as the captain of UP. India’s star opener Smriti Mandhana, who was also the most expensive player in the auction, is going to lead Bangalore while Beth Mooney will be leading Gujarat.
The Women’s T20 League marks a tipping point in the legacy of women’s cricket in India. From the sport being available as a hobby to steps being taken towards an increasingly professional setup, the women’s game has come a long way. The first match of the league will be played on March 4 between Gujarat and Mumbai.
Here’s how fans reacted:
No need to make lots of Aussies captains.
— Pavan Khedkar (@khedkarpavan07) March 2, 2023
They should promote Indian players
— Vishal Choudhary (@vishal_7077) March 2, 2023
Congratulations delhi capital on winning WIPL
— Shubham (@playz_shubh) March 2, 2023
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