The stage is set at the Brabourne Stadium as Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI) will lock horns in the final of WPL 2025. MI are looking for their second title, while DC, despite reaching their third final in three seasons, are still searching for their maiden title.
Incidentally, during the initial stages of DC’s season, Ahilya Chandel, a cricketer from Japan, joined them as a net bowler. Currently, she is in Sydney playing club cricket.
Ahead of the marquee clash, she had an exclusive chat with RevSportz. Ahilya opened up about her stint, experiences of playing alongside some top-class cricketers, learnings, the growth of women’s cricket in Japan, and much more.
How was your experience with the DC camp? Did you take any lessons from the WPL?
The recent stint with Delhi Capitals was such an amazing experience, and I gained a lot of insights and even new learnings about myself as well. For me, I would probably say that when I was training with the girls and the coaches, they gave me a lot of new experiences and learnings, as I was there as a net bowler, a left-arm pacer.
I really wanted to work on and develop how to use my variations accordingly and when. I had a conversation with Jonathan Batty (DC Coach) regarding how to bowl to certain types of batters—for example, you have Shafali Verma, who is more aggressive in her approach, versus Jemimah, who plays around, takes her time, and then starts attacking. He gave me good tips, advising me to watch how they play and identify their weaknesses.
I think my main learning was about when and how to effectively use those variations. I also asked him about my line and length, how it was, and he said that it was pretty good. So overall, the experience was fun and great.
Can you tell us how you got the opportunity? Was there any process, or did DC connect with you and the rest just happened?
The management of DC and Japan Cricket have been in contact to create a partnership. So, I was there as the first step in that journey. But how did I receive the information? Japan Cricket contacted me and asked if I wanted to jump in on this opportunity, and I immediately said yes. I was like, I am going to take it.
We all know that when it comes to women’s cricket, Australia is the best in terms of achievements. You were with Delhi Capitals, where you saw the infrastructure in India. Can you tell us about the basic differences or any similarities that you observed between the two infrastructures?
Yeah. To be honest, I think the infrastructure is pretty much the same and similar in terms of training, formats, the game itself, and even the way coaches teach and guide the players. I think it is quite similar.
I know that Australia is probably the top cricketing team in the world. Being part of the state pathway system, the rigorous training involves fielding, bowling, and every aspect of the mental game as well. Even just being there with the DC girls, it felt quite the same. They had good management and solid foundations when it came to training, talking to players, game sense, and game approach.
So, it was pretty similar. I guess the different cultural environments would probably be the only difference.
How inspirational did it feel to see legends like Marizanne Kapp and Meg Lanning around at the DC set-up? Did they give you any advice during that stint?
Being able to be in the same environment as some of the top-class cricketers was such an amazing experience. I think the most inspiring thing for me was probably their work ethic—the hard yards they put into their bowling and fielding, and even how they talk to each other and the coaches. They always want to learn, and they always want to improve their skills and themselves.
I think it was really good to see, even for me, and to bring that back to my Japan Cricket teammates—that even if we are on a bit of a different level, everyone is still working to be the best possible version of an athlete that they can be. So, I think that was the most striking and inspirational thing I saw.
What are your views on a young girl like Niki Prasad getting opportunities in the WPL after India’s U19 World Cup triumph?
I think it is such an amazing achievement, especially for her age as well. I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with her about it and to see her train behind the scenes, as well as talk to her on just a normal human level.
She is such a down-to-earth person, but she puts in so much hard work behind her cricket and has so much passion and desire. It is really nice to see young girls still having that passion and determination to achieve the highest possible level they can.
Who are the funniest and most serious cricketers in the DC camp?
The funniest character in DC, I would say, is Taniya Bhatia. She cracks jokes sometimes out of nowhere, and they are so spontaneous and funny.
The most serious I would say is Marizanne Kapp. Sometimes she is quite serious—a bit intimidating—but when you have a conversation with her, she is all good.
Three WPLs, three finals. Do you think it would be third time lucky for DC?
Third time is the lucky charm, so hopefully, they win. I just think that going into the finals, if they keep doing what they are doing, keep practicing hard, stay as a team, and really have a clear mind and goal, they can win it.
I do not think they lack any skills—they have everything. I think they are such a good unit as well. So, I definitely think they have a strong chance this year to win and bring back the title.
Can you tell us about your journey—how you got into the game, at what age did you start playing, and whether this was your first visit to India?
I think I started playing cricket when I was around eight years old. I obviously started with backyard cricket, then boys’ cricket, and eventually moved into women’s cricket. But I got into the game because of my dad. My dad is Indian, and he plays cricket himself—he still plays to this day. He also played soccer, but I think he had more passion and desire for cricket, so he passed that on to me.
Ever since then, I have been on my cricketing journey. I have been to India before because I have family there. As for my cricketing journey, I have been playing here in Sydney since I was quite young, so I have been part of the whole Australian system pathway. Besides that, my dad has also helped me—he would train me in addition to my normal training with grade cricket.
What was the experience like when you took a double hat-trick against China? It is a very rare achievement…
During that game, I came in to bowl the last over, the death over, I believe. I knew we had four wickets left to take, and honestly, I was just thinking, these are the last four wickets—you just need to bowl the best deliveries you possibly can.
So, I bowled. The first ball was a dot ball, then the next ball was caught—and then it started. Honestly, after every wicket, I just went back to a clear mindset and focused on bowling the next ball. But when I took four wickets and got a double hat-trick, I was kind of in shock. I was like, “Oh my gosh, a double hat-trick—that is a very rare thing to achieve.”
But then I quickly snapped out of it because we had to bat—the game was not over yet. Still, it was such a surreal moment.
When it comes to broadcasting, facilities, and fan support, how do you see the growth of women’s cricket in Japan currently?
From when I debuted in 2022 to now, I have seen such growth, especially in terms of facilities. I know Japan Cricket has been working hard and putting in the dedication to provide the best facilities, grounds, training, and nets that they possibly can for us, as well as improving broadcasting and securing sponsors. Sponsorship has been such an important part of our growth.
It is really nice to see big Japanese companies supporting us in cricket—it gives us even more motivation to do better and to grow cricket as a mainstream sport in Japan, if that is possible. I also think tournaments like the WJPL have helped us extend our reach by inviting foreign players, which has contributed to our growth and helped us gain international fan support and attention to further develop cricket in Japan.
Japan mostly plays T20s, but do you think there should be a little more focus on ODIs?
I do know that back in 2003, Japan played ODIs. At this moment, we are only playing T20s. I think maybe in the future, there could be an opportunity for us to play ODIs—you never know what the future holds. But to get to that point, we as a team, along with Japan Cricket, need to work hard to achieve that goal.
I think our first focus should be on the T20 games we have—to improve our skills, develop as individuals and as a team, and keep performing consistently. If we can maintain that consistency, keep working hard on our skills, and have continued support from Japan Cricket, I think we can get better and possibly play some ODI games in the future.
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#AhilyaChandel Exclusive @CricketJapan‘s Ahilya Chandel recently served as the net bowler for @DelhiCapitals in the @wplt20.
What’s her story? The journey from Japan to India to play cricket? Listen in
@snehasis_95 @BSV_Global
Full Interview: https://t.co/oiYTEkrOOy pic.twitter.com/e8UpPQZfJV
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) March 15, 2025
As a sporting nation, Japan always takes the Olympics very seriously. Now that we all know cricket is being included in the Olympics in the coming years, do you think that can be extra motivation for Japan Cricket to get more involved in the sport?
When we heard that cricket is coming back to the Olympics, we were all really excited. I think it has been a big part of our desire to improve, and it has given us extra motivation to work even harder.
Every time we train or compete, we also keep in mind that there are bigger opportunities ahead that we could potentially be a part of. It’s such an exciting moment to know that cricket is back in the Olympics. But to reach that level, we need to work really hard as a team to get there.
How do you see Jemimah Rodrigues, and how does she prepare herself before a game?
Jemimah is such an amazing person, genuinely speaking from my heart. In the first training session I joined, I saw her batting—she is such a great batter.
She puts in so much hard work, and every time she is batting, she is always thinking—how to play a certain bowler, what type of shots she can play. She is always analysing. But besides cricket, as a person, she is so down-to-earth. She is funny, talkative, and has such a bubbly personality.
I actually even said that to her face-to-face. I told her that I had seen her on TV—batting and in interviews—and sometimes, you never know if people are really like that behind the scenes.
But it was really nice to see that not only her, but everyone in the DC team, is exactly how they appear. It was great to see them both as cricketers and as normal human beings.
Did Jemi invite you to the band they have in DC?
Unfortunately, I do not play an instrument. Maybe I could be a backup dancer in the future. Maybe I will start playing the piano or ukulele.
What is the plan to play in franchise leagues like the WBBL or WPL in the coming days? It would be a huge opportunity for you and, of course, for Japan Cricket to showcase its talent on that kind of stage.
I definitely have dreams of playing in big franchises like the WBBL and WPL. It is such a great platform. If I get to play alongside top-class cricketers, I will also grow as an individual and improve my skill set.
To get to that point, though, I have to work hard—not only in my international games but also by consistently performing with both my bowling and batting and training hard. Even the cricket I play here is a valuable experience because sometimes we have international or overseas cricketers who come and play in our first-grade competitions.
I definitely aspire to play in those franchises, but to get there, I need to put in the hard work, make the necessary efforts, and ensure that I am a consistent and reliable player.
For the final, whom do you want—GG or MI?
I would say MI because there is always a bit of tension between DC and MI. So, it would be nice to see.
Also Read: Delhi Capitals aim for maiden WPL title against in-form Mumbai Indians
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