Mumbai, Jan 18 (NationPress) 19-year-old Lucy Hamilton expressed that receiving her Women’s Premier League (WPL) debut cap from the Delhi Capitals was “really special”. Her focus going into the match was to remain composed, trust her abilities, and contribute her utmost to the team.

The Australian cricketer kicked off her WPL journey with a commendable performance, making a significant lower-order impact during her debut against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai this past Saturday.

Facing early adversity at 10 for 4, the Delhi Capitals managed to rally and achieve a respectable total of 166. Opener Shafali Verma led the charge with a solid 62 off 41 balls. Meanwhile, Hamilton, batting at position nine, contributed crucial late runs with a brisk 36 off 19 balls, including three fours and three sixes, which helped the Capitals set a defendable target.

Reflecting on her debut and performing under pressure, Hamilton remarked, “It was really special to get that opportunity and be out there for my first game. Making your debut is always a significant moment. From our early position, the message was to keep fighting and see how deep we could go. I aimed to stay calm, trust my strengths, and do my best for the team.”

Regarding her partnership with Shafali Verma during the recovery phase, the left-arm fast bowler noted, “With Shafali, it was largely about clear communication and rotating the strike. She was hitting the ball exceptionally well, so the plan was to keep her on strike and support her from the other end. Coming back from 10 for 4 to achieving a total like that demonstrated considerable character and fight from the group.”

Hamilton shared her thoughts on playing in the WPL and adjusting to Indian conditions: “It’s been an incredibly exciting experience thus far. The conditions here differ quite a bit from Australia, so adapting has been crucial. Training has been instrumental in learning how precise we need to be with our lines and lengths, especially considering the smaller grounds and excellent batting surfaces. It's about making it as challenging as possible for the batters.”

Although the Delhi Capitals were unable to defend their total as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru successfully chased it down, Hamilton believes there are several positives to take away.

“You can extract something positive from every game. We faced early pressure, but the way everyone responded and fought back to set a competitive total was encouraging. It was a good contest, and although we came out on the losing side today, there are numerous positives to carry forward.”

The Delhi Capitals are set to face the Mumbai Indians in their next Women’s Premier League 2026 match on Tuesday at the BCA Stadium, Kotambi, Vadodara.