As WPL 2025 nears, Delhi Capitals, co-owned by JSW and GMR, is currently conducting a pre-season training camp in Pune to refine their skills before the event. As excitement mounts for the new season, Delhi Capitals opener Shafali Verma, now in her second season, sat down to give her perspective on the team’s preparations and how WPL has turned her cricketing life upside down.
“The preparations are going full steam ahead. The atmosphere here is really good and everyone is gelling up well,” Verma said following the first session of training.
Having already been a critical player in two back-to-back finals in DC’s first two seasons, she attributed her excellence to the WPL as being unique playing time for players to inculcate themselves in their game while interacting with international cricketers.
“There are good matches to play in WPL. You get good opportunities to correct this or that in your game. Personally, I have learnt building innings while being a part of WPL,” she said.
“Playing with foreign players is a different learning for all of us. One of the things I like the most is the way they keep cool and composed because that is one aspect that I have learnt while playing with overseas players,” she said.
Having to deal with not getting selected for the ODI series the following November was tough times for the young opener, with family support and motivation being key to restoring her spirit. She is now determined to stage a comeback into the team with positivity.
“To be honest, the past few months have been tough for me. My father suffered a heart attack, and just a couple of days later, I was dropped from the ODI squad. So, it was a mentally difficult phase, but my father encouraged me, and my family stood by me throughout. I’ve realised that my job is to score runs whenever I get the opportunity, and that’s where I want to focus. The only thing in my control is my preparation, if I train well and score runs, I know I can come back stronger,” she concluded.
Delhi Capitals will begin their WPL 2025 campaign against Mumbai Indians on February 15, 2025 in Vadodara.
