Jonathan Batty Hails Kiran Navgire’s Power, Backs 15-Year-Old Uma Kashvi as Delhi Capitals Build WPL 2027 Squad

Delhi Capitals strengthened their squad for the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2027 season with four acquisitions at Wednesday's auction in Kochi, investing ₹1.05 crore to build on a strong core of 13 retained players.

The JSW and GMR co-owned franchise signed explosive Indian batter Kiran Navgire for ₹75 lakh, while 15-year-old Karnataka all-rounder Uma Kashvi, Indian all-rounder Nazma Khan and Scotland spinner Kirstie Gordon joined for ₹10 lakh each. Delhi's total squad expenditure reached ₹14.95 crore, including ₹13.9 crore spent on retentions, leaving them with a 17-member squad.

Head coach Jonathan Batty was particularly pleased with the addition of Navgire, whose power-hitting could provide another attacking option alongside Shafali Verma and overseas all-rounder Chinelle Henry.

"Kiran was a high-value target for us. She's probably the most dynamic and powerful batter in the auction. With Shafali at the top of the order and power further down the lineup with players like Chinelle Henry, Kiran gives us another dimension to consider in our batting order. It has the potential to make our batting lineup absolutely staggering," Batty said.

Kashvi emerged as another major talking point, becoming the youngest player sold in WPL auction history. The right-arm spin-bowling all-rounder has represented India Under-19 in a series against Sri Lanka Under-19.

Batty said Delhi had monitored her progress closely and viewed the signing as a long-term investment.

"She's been on our radar for a little while. Our scouts have watched her play extensively and shared some incredible feedback, and I've seen her play as well. We believe she could become an absolute superstar in the future," he said.

"At 15, she is very much a work in progress, and we're not expecting her to be the finished article just yet. This is a long-term project for Delhi Capitals," Batty added.

Delhi retained a formidable core featuring captain Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland and Laura Wolvaardt. Batty believes the new signings have improved both the starting lineup and the bench.

"We are really happy with how things went. There were lots of different dynamics at play, but I think it went as well as we could have hoped," he concluded.