3 best Jemimah Rodrigues moments from WPL 2023
Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Jemimah Rodrigues was among the big names from Indian Women’s cricket to feature in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023, which ended on Sunday, March 26.
Rodrigues featured in the final as DC took on Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
It wasn’t a happy outing for the batter or her team for that matter. While Jemimah was dismissed for nine by a full toss from Issy Wong, Delhi went on to lose the summit clash by seven wickets.
They posted a disappointing 131/9 on the board after winning the toss and batting first. Picked up by Delhi Capitals at the auction for ₹2.2 crore, the 22-year-old had a disappointing tournament. She scored 126 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 128.57, with a best of 34*.
While she failed to set the tournament on fire with her willow, the cheerful and energetic cricketer made her presence felt in other ways.
Following the conclusion of WPL 2023, here’s a recap of the three best Jemimah Rodrigues moments.
#1 Dancing Jemi
It’s no secret that Jemimah loves dance and music. Her entertaining side was on display during Delhi’s first WPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Brabourne Stadium.
DC batted first in the game and posted an imposing 223/2 on the board in their 20 overs. Meg Lanning (72 off 43) and Shafali Verma (84 off 45) added 162 for the opening wicket, while Jemimah contributed a cameo of 22* in 15 balls.
@JemiRodrigues If anyone dint believe me...🤣🤣 #WPL2023 #RCBvsDC https://t.co/lNeeAZ1ENc
During RCB’s chase, Jemimah was fielding on the boundary when she decided to entertain the crowd by breaking into a dance.
She entertained fans with multiple dance steps, including a Bhangra move, as fans cheered her on even as some peppy music kept playing in the background.
#WPL2023 #RCBvsDC @wplt20 @IPL@JemiRodrigues Here she goes again...😍 #WPL2023 #RCBvsDC @wplt20 @IPL https://t.co/c9vmxXvJv0
Delhi had strong reasons to cheer as they beat Bangalore by 60 runs to get their WPL 2023 campaign off to a positive start.
#2 Flying Jemi
While she did not live up to expectations with the bat, Jemimah pulled off a couple of spectacular catches on the field.
In DC’s first match against Mumbai, the youngster sent back MI opener Hayley Matthews (32) with a superb diving catch, running in from long-on.
Matthews looked to whack a tossed-up delivery from Alice Capsey but skied the ball. Rodrigues judged the catch superbly and dived forward to complete a wonderfully athletic piece of fielding.
🏻
bit.ly/3LrDUFd PLAY THIS ON LOOP 🔁
@JemiRodrigues - A catch marvel 🙌🏻
Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/3LrDUFd
#TATAWPL | #DCvMI https://t.co/GqjAuHEZ2X
It was not the only moment of fielding brilliance from the Delhi Capitals star. When the two teams met for the second time in the league stage, Rodrigues pulled off another excellent catch to dismiss Matthews (five) once again.
The dangerous Mumbai opener uppishly punched a full delivery from Shikha Pandey on the middle and off. Jemimah dived to her right at mid-on and completed another excellent catch.
Screamer alert 🔥🔥
WHAT. A. CATCH from @JemiRodrigues 🙌🏻
Follow the match ▶️ bit.ly/3JPFSOj
#TATAWPL | #MIvDC https://t.co/p4vlhHaYMI
While Mumbai won the first encounter between the two teams in the league stage, Jemimah’s effort in the second clash between the two sides came in a winning cause as Delhi hammered Mumbai by nine wickets - a win that took them to the top of the points table.
#3 Jiving Jemi has company
Apart from Jemimah, Delhi Capitals left-arm spinner Radha Yadav is also a very good dancer. The duo were captured doing the hook step of 'Gangnam style' in the dugout during one of their WPL matches. In game number 18 of the T20 league, Delhi dominated Mumbai and registered a comprehensive win.
Over the course of the game, WPL’s official Twitter handle posted a video of Jemimah and Radha having some fun in the dugout by deciding to engage in a dance.
The clip, which soon went viral on social media, was posted with the caption:
“M.O.O.D in the @DelhiCapitals camp right now😎.”
M.O.O.D in the @DelhiCapitals camp right now😎
Follow the match ▶️ bit.ly/3JPFSOj
#TATAWPL | #MIvDC | @JemiRodrigues https://t.co/AkgCJKAI6Y
Speaking of the game, DC held MI to 109/8 after winning the toss and bowling first. Delhi then chased down the target in 9 overs as Lanning (32*), Shafali (33) and Alice Capsey (38*) helped themselves to some easy runs.