NEW DELHI: South Africa all-rounder Marizanne Kapp on Monday conceded that losing Australian great Meg Lanning was a “big” setback but backed Jemimah Rodrigues as the right choice to replace the three-time Delhi Capitals skipper, saying she will receive full support from senior players to thrive in the role.

Rodrigues was appointed Delhi Capitals captain ahead of the fourth season of the Women’s Premier League last month, taking over from Lanning, who guided the side to the finals in each of the last three editions.

“Look, I’m not going to lie. 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. But I mentioned actually a couple of years ago, when they asked me who should India’s next captain be, I actually said Jemima,” Kapp said during a virtual interaction.

“I feel like she’s one of those players who can bring a team together, just her personality and a caring factor the way she is. I feel like she’s always been a leader. And look, there will be challenges. Even if you are an experienced captain, there will always be challenges. I feel Jemima has a lot of senior players around her.

“We still have a lot of players here that’s been here before. I mean, management is still the same. So she has a lot of support if she does struggle. But I believe Jemima will take this opportunity with both hands and I think she’ll be very successful.”

Delhi Capitals’ runners-up finishes, according to Kapp, came down to a combination of misfortune and not delivering their best on the big day.

“I don’t think it’s a case of pressure. We’ve done so well over the past three years. I feel like at some stages, it was just a bit of bad luck.

“First season, I think we lost three wickets with full tosses that on any other day could have ended up being no balls. Then second year, it was probably the slowest wicket we played on … so it’s a mixed bag of bad luck and us not playing too well, not having our best days in the finals.”

Shafali a special talent

India opener Shafali Verma, who played a vital knock in the final to help India clinch their maiden World Cup title, continues to be a key member of DC after being retained ahead of the 2026 auction.

Calling her a “special talent”, Kapp said: “She’s going to have a very long and successful career. I feel like just the level of confidence and that self-belief that she walks around with.

“I mean, coming into the DC camp immediately on day one, we had a practice match and she smashed the ball all over different parts of the field.

“That’s what’s so special about her. She’s not going to change the way she plays. And if you have players like that, it just rubs off on the rest of the team.”

Sharing her thoughts on the emergence of young players in the WPL, Kapp said domestic cricketers have increasingly made a significant impact.

“From year two and three, you could already see there was a bigger impact from the domestic players. And I think that’s the beauty of these leagues.

“I feel like once these youngsters actually start playing with international cricketers and they realize, hey, I can still perform against the best in the world, it just gives them a different level of confidence.”

When asked whether her time with DC has influenced her own game, Kapp said: “Probably the aggressive nature within my batting. My role and where I come in, I don’t always necessarily get as much time to bat. So it’s almost like you have to make every ball count.

“My entry point within games has allowed me to just come in and be a bit more aggressive. So I feel like that’s definitely an area of ​​my game where I’ve improved and where the WPL has been so special to me.”

(With PTI Inputs)