Annabel Sutherland’s shock withdrawal from the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 feels like a thunderclap over Delhi Capitals’ camp. The 24-year-old Australian all-rounder opted out for this season due to personal reasons.
For Delhi Capitals it will be hard to fill her place. They secured her services, named among one of their 5 retention ahead of WPL 2026 auction, banking on her as the ultimate X-factor. In 17 WPL games, she has tallied 150 runs and 13 wickets, her 3/34 best figures etched in franchise lore.
Last season’s nine matches she played with elegance and pure class, 95 runs across seven innings at a strike rate of 121.79, and equally impactful with the ball, she pocketed nine wickets capped by that sizzling 3/34.
Her current form has been electrifying. Sutherland owned the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup co-hosted by India-Sri Lanka in her own style, ripping 17 wickets in seven matches with a brutal 5/40. In Indore, she carved an unbeaten 98 against England in the ODI, then bagged three wickets in that match as well, proving her evolution into a top all-rounder.
The Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 2025 kept the fire raging with her featuring in 11 matches. She scored 174 runs at a strike rate of 122.53 and also has 11 wickets under her name topped by the spell of 2/7. From global stages to domestic leagues, she’s the full package ruling with her fearless batting and disciplined bowling, raw power, and ice cool player.
Delhi Capitals have swiftly moved to plug this gap with the signing of Australian leg-break maestro Alana King, a right-hand batter snapped up for INR 60 lakh. Her standout moment, a breathtaking career best 7/18 demolition of South Africa during the ODI World Cup, turned heads worldwide, showcasing her match winning flair and adaptability to subcontinental conditions.
This bold acquisition post Sutherland’s exit arms DC with a cunning leg spin threat to reshape their bowling attack. Only recently, playing the Big Bash with a fractured finger, she still managed 12 wickets in 13 innings, but was particularly noteworthy in the business end, recording bowling figures of 2/25, 3/17, and 0/25.
Sutherland was a crucial factor for the team and her departure leaves a gaping void at Delhi Capitals, where she was the linchpin all-rounder, but her teammates now shoulder the burden to step up and fill that vacuum.
As the calendar edges closer to WPL 2026, the franchise gears up for an explosive opener on Saturday, January 10, against defending champions Mumbai Indians, all under the fresh leadership of newly appointed captain Jemimah Rodrigues.
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