New Delhi: Ahead of the 2026 season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), former India cricketer Anagha Deshpande has joined three-time runners-up Delhi Capitals (DC) as an assistant coach.
It is understood that Anagha’s coaching duties will center around fielding and batting in the DC set-up. “Yes, I am joining the Delhi Capitals. It was finalised a few days ago. Hundred percent, it’s a great opportunity for me.
“I will get to learn a lot of things which will aid me in future. I have seen them try for winning a trophy for three years. I hope I can help them win the trophy this time,” Anagha told IANS on Thursday.
At DC, Anagha will link up with head coach Jonathan Batty. Her appointment comes after the exit of Lisa Keightley, who has joined Mumbai Indians as head coach, and Milap Mewada, who is now coaching Goa’s men’s team in the ongoing domestic season.
Anagha played 23 ODIs and eight T20Is for India from 2008 to 2014, and made 483 runs across both formats. As a wicketkeeper, she took 16 catches and effected 21 stumpings in white-ball cricket for India. She played for Maharashtra, Railways, Gujarat and Puducherry in the domestic cricket circuit.
Anagha has enjoyed considerable success as a coach in Uttarakhand since retiring as a player. She led the state’s U19 women’s team to one-day trophy titles in 2021/22 and 2022/23, and guided the U23 side to entering knockout stages in T20 and one-day championships in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Under Anagha, Uttarakhand reached their first senior women’s finals in both T20 and one-day formats in 2023/24. Players like Nandini Kashyap, Raghvi Bist and Prema Rawat, all of whom featured in this year’s WPL and India A teams, attribute their growth to Anagha’s coaching.
She has also worked as a coach with many teams in senior and U19 women’s challenger trophies, as well as served in various assignments at the zonal and national level for camps organised by the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE).
DC will open their 2026 WPL campaign on January 10 against defending champions Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. India batter Jemimah Rodrigues was recently named as DC’s new captain, and Anagha backed the decision.
“I have seen her leadership. She is well deserving to be the captain. I have seen her lead Mumbai. The way her nature is in terms of leading a team, there is no need for a tag to say that she is a leader. She plays in the same way as a player and now that she has a leadership tag, she is hundred percent well deserving of it,” she said.
Meanwhile, IANS understands that former India captain Anju Jain is likely to take charge as DC’s batting coach. Anju featured in eight Tests and 65 ODIs for India from 1993 to 2005, and amassed 2170 runs overall.
Apart from hitting one century and three fifties in Tests, she claimed 15 catches and effected eight stumpings in the format, while contributing with 30 catches and 51 stumpings in ODIs.
Anju previously served as assistant coach of UP Warriorz (UPW) in first two seasons of the WPL and was the head coach of Tornadoes at the FairBreak Global Invitational tournament. Anju also coached the Indian team and also served as chairman of the women’s selection committee.
She also served as the head coach of Bangladesh women’s team, and worked in the same capacity with Odisha, Vidarbha, Assam, Tripura and Baroda teams in the domestic circuit.
(IANS)
