The Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction was nothing less than a promising one but the highlight of the event was the 16-year-old Deeya Yadav who was bought by the Delhi Capitals. She became the youngest player ever to be purchased in a WPL mega auction. DC acquired the top-order batter for a base price of Rs 10 lakh.
The purchase will see Deeya reuniting with her idol and India Women’s team opening batter Shafali Verma, with whom she has played in Haryana. In the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup finals game, Shafali was named player of the match for her all-rounder performance of 87 off 78 balls and 2/36.
Following Deeya’s acquisition by DC, Shafali took to social media to congratulate her and welcome her to the team. In one of her Instagram post she wrote, “Congratulations, Diya, welcome to Delhi Capitals.”
Meanwhile, DC CEO Sunil Gupta also revealed the strategy behind picking Deeya in the team.
He said, “We have been tracking Deeya since she burst onto the U-15 circuit. We watched her closely in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this year and were very impressed. She has taken her transition from age-group to senior cricket like fish to water. Her range of shots and ball-striking ability, along with fearless approach, is what impressed our scouts and led to us picking her at the auction.”
In the U-15 women’s one-day cup at Raipur in 2023, Deeya scored an unbeaten 213 off just 125 balls against Tripura. Both Deeya and Shafali have been in Haryana for three years so far. The youngster draws inspiration from her senior, who is a top-order batter like her.
During an interview with The Indian Express she said, “We have played for Haryana together. I always learn how to be aggressive during batting and how to handle pressure situations. She (Shafali) plays really well under pressure. I developed the intent of hitting when I started playing with her.”
Recalling her career kickstart in cricket, Deeya mentioned drawing inspiration from her father’s journey in cricket and getting coached under him for some time.
“I started my cricket in Pune. My father, who is an inspiration for me, used to play some corporate matches. So, looking at him, I started my cricket. He taught me a bit. Some of my friends also played gully cricket in our society. So that also motivated me. I was six years old then,” she recalled.
The batter who is yet to make her WPL debut is excited to meet other players of DC, including Jemimah Rodrigues and Laura Wolvaardt, and gain some learnings on how to bat under pressure.
Inputs sourced from [The Indian Express], [ESPNCricinfo]
