16-year-old Deeya Yadav created historical past right through this yr’s Ladies’s Premier League (WPL) public sale as she was the youngest participant to be purchased within the league. The Haryana-based batter had attended trials for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and UP Warriorz however was once in for a wonder as she was once picked by means of Delhi Capitals at her base worth of ₹10 lakh.
Deeya will likely be sharing the dressing room along one of the crucial stalwarts of the sport like India opener Shafali Verma and South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt.
Chatting with Hindustan Instances, Yadav referred to as Shafali an “inspiration” and mentioned her presence has helped {the teenager} change into a greater cricketer.
“Shafali didi is an inspiration for all people within the Haryana group. Her presence has helped me change into a greater cricketer. She all the time inspired me to play my herbal attacking recreation. To get an opportunity to be in the similar WPL group as her feels superb. After which Laura Wolvaardt has additionally joined DC. I’m so excited,” Yadav advised Hindustan Instances.
“WPL is an incredible event. At 16, getting this publicity, sharing the dressing room with world stars, is a large deal. It’ll lend a hand me develop and get ready for long term demanding situations, together with the U-19 Ladies’s Global Cup in 2027,” she added.
Deeya first grabbed nationwide headlines in 2023 right through the U-15 One-Day Trophy, the place she ruled the event with a staggering 578 runs at a mean of 96.33. That marketing campaign incorporated 3 centuries and a record-breaking unbeaten double century, 213 off 125 balls, towards Tripura, a unprecedented feat in girls’s age-group cricket.
Status tall at 5’8”, Deeya is understood for her blank ball hanging and strong wrists. Her competitive taste mirrors that of her idol, Shafali Verma, with whom she has shaped an impressive partnership on the best of the order for Haryana.
Early existence and love for cricket:
Yadav fell in love with cricket after looking at the 2017 Ladies’s Global Cup ultimate and deciding to lend a hand the rustic win the trophy sooner or later. Her father, Rakesh Yadav, a former Delhi U-19 cricketer and IT skilled, enrolled her in an academy in Pune, the place her “love for the game saved rising”.
The circle of relatives made a the most important resolution right through the COVID-19 pandemic to relocate to Gurugram to verify she had get admission to to the Haryana Cricket Affiliation’s setup.
“My severe cricket began in 2020. I made my U15 debut in 2023 and we gained the event. After that, HCA supported me throughout all age teams. I ultimately made it to the senior group, and beneath Shafali didi we additionally gained the U-23 trophy,” mentioned Yadav.
The 16-year-old says she desires DC, who’ve been runners-up in all 3 seasons to this point, to win the trophy. Yadav says she does now not know if she’s going to get an opportunity to play however will “benefit from the publicity”.
