Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues would have sat beside each other in India’s dressing room many times. On the eve of the 2026 Women’s Premier League final, the two India stars sat next to each other as captains of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals, respectively. The glittering trophy, which is at stake on Thursday, was placed right in the middle.

Smriti has been here before — she led RCB to the title two seasons ago. While Jemimah has played three finals for Capitals, this is her first taste of leadership at the WPL. As would be expected with close mates, the banter flowed, and a few laughs were shared at the start of the pre-match media interaction before they got down to more serious business.

For Capitals to enter a fourth straight final seemed out of bounds when they lost three of their first four games. But Jemimah has shown character while steering the ship. The 25-year-old flicked a switch during India’s triumphant ODI World Cup campaign last year and has now continued in the same vein.

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“In the last 3-4 months, I think I’ve grown the most. Especially in the last month as a captain. The best part about captaincy is that I have thought less about myself and more about the team. And that took a lot of pressure off me. So that just gave me that space where I don’t overthink my game,” Jemimah told the media.

In RCB’s run to the final, Smriti has also led by example. The ace opener shared the credit with Malolan Rangarajan, who is the franchise’s head coach for the first time.

“I’ve known Malo from the first season. He’s extremely calm and composed. A lot of girls have enjoyed working with him and taken the calmness he brings to the team,” she said.

Published on Feb 04, 2026