"They did something similar with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer" - Aakash Chopra on Delhi Capitals' acquisitions of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma
Aakash Chopra reckons the Delhi Capitals' acquisition of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma is similar to their earlier approach of buying two youngsters in the form of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Capitals spent ₹11.65 crore while acquiring a full-strength 18-member squad at the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 auction in Mumbai earlier this month. Jemimah and Shafali were their most expensive buys, for whom they spent a total of ₹4.2 crores.
While reflecting on the Delhi Capitals' acquisitions on the "AakashVani" show on Jio Cinema, Chopra highlighted that their philosophy was similar to the one they followed in the IPL, explaining:
"They broke their bank for Jemimah and Shafali. They came with a clear plan. It is a slight eye on the future, that they make the core of their team going forward as well. They did something similar with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Their philosophy is to go in that direction."
The former Indian opener feels the Capitals have a formidable batting lineup, elaborating:
"If we see their batters - Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Laura Harris (who is Grace Harris' sister and some people say that she hits more than Grace), Jasia Akhtar (it is a beautiful story as she comes from Shopian), Sneha Deepthi - so the batting is looking good."
Chopra believes the Delhi-based franchise has an awesome overseas contingent, observing:
"I will make it even better for you because in the all-rounders' category, they have Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey and Jess Jonassen. If I see their overseas contingent, it looks awesome. I am seeing batting depth in this team."
Here is Delhi Capitals’ strongest XI for WPL 2023 🏏
What changes will you make? 🤔
#YehHaiNayiDilli #WPL2023 #CricketTwitter https://t.co/QXfXk19y1n
Chopra pointed out that the Delhi Capitals have an excellent wicketkeeper in the form of Taniya Bhatia, who is phenomenal with the gloves. The cricketer-turned-commentator added that despite the presence of the likes of Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav and Poonam Yadav, batting is likely to be the franchise's stronger suit.
"I think Meg Lanning is their captain" - Aakash Chopra on the Delhi Capitals' likely skipper
Chopra cast his vote for Meg Lanning as Delhi Capitals' skipper for WPL 2023, saying:
"I think Meg Lanning is their captain. In my opinion, you should announce her as the captain now. I am saying Meg Lanning will be the captain. Outstanding cricketer - she is Australia's captain, what else is left after that? She has been a phenomenal player."
legend, Meg Lanning 
Winning hearts and accolades everywhere she goes 😍
Up next in #KnowYourCapitals is the bonafide 🇦🇺 legend, Meg Lanning ✨
#YehHaiNayiDilli #WPL https://t.co/h9zG95q81T
The Capitals are yet to formally announce their skipper. Shafali Verma announced herself as their captain through a social media post a few days back but deleted the post subsequently.