“I will definitely ignore her” - Jemimah Rodrigues jokes about meeting Smriti Mandhana in WPL 2023

Indian batter Jemimah Rodrigues is excited for the contest against senior teammate Smriti Mandhana in the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023.

Mandhana and Jemimah are two integral batters in the Indian women's team T20I setup. Both were part of India's squad for the recently-concluded Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Mandhana, who was the most expensive player in the WPL 2023 auction, is set to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the inaugural season, starting on March 4. Jemimah, on the other hand, was named vice-captain of the Delhi Capitals on Thursday (March 2).

While speaking at a Delhi Capitals event held in Mumbai on Thursday, Jemimah was asked about facing Mandhana in their first match of the upcoming WPL.

The star batter replied:

"Actually we both were hoping we will not be in the same team. This is a very honest thing because we just wanted to play against each other. The rivalry between best friends is always more and that's what we are hoping for."

She further quipped about meeting Mandhana on the field ahead of their match. She added:

"Till now I have not meet her on the ground but if I meet her, I will definitely ignore her because I want to be loyal to my team (chuckles). But I think both the teams are good, so it's going to be a really good match to start our tournament off."

Australia's T20 World Cup-winning captain Meg Lanning will lead the Capitals in the first season of the WPL. Jemimah played for the Melbourne Stars in the 2022 edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).

Lanning, who is the Stars' regular captain, was unavailable for the franchise last year due to her indefinite break from cricket.

While reflecting on her thoughts on playing under Lanning's leadership, Jemimah mentioned:

"I think in the morning I met Meg, I told her that I was so excited to be playing alongside you because we were part of the Stars team too. I missed an opportunity there but I think god has been kind that we both are in the same team here. I am going to make the most of it and annoy you a little bit (telling to Meg Lanning)."

She added:

"I am really looking forward to it. I think she is one of the greatest leaders we have ever seen. It is exciting to be a part of the same franchise."

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"To see this transformation in women's cricket in India is really crazy" - Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues started her cricket journey at the MIG Club in Bandra, Mumbai, the same club where her brothers Enoch and Eli used to train.

Speaking about revisiting her club, Rodrigues was delighted to see the changes at her club in regards to the development of women's cricket.

She said:

"Yesterday when I went to my club where I practiced, I was the only girl over there when I started playing with the boys. There were like 400 boys over there but yesterday when I went, there was a special net only for girls and they were practicing for a tournament."

She added:

"I went there and told those girls it was an emotional sight for me. Just to see this transformation in women's cricket in India is really crazy."

The Delhi Capitals will start their WPL 2023 campaign against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 4 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.