Meet Shafali Verma and Deeya Yadav, who makes a historic WPL debut

Shafali Verma : IT experts Pinky and Rakesh Yadav had a nerve-racking evening precisely one week ago. Rakesh was returning home from the workplace while Pinky was at home. Their 16-year-old daughter Deeya’s name was going to appear in the WPL auction just eighteen kilometers away.

Pinky and Rakesh were quite anxious when auctioneer Mallika Sagar assumed Deeya’s name when she was in Kerala for the T20 matches with Haryana’s U23 team. After ten to fifteen seconds of silence in the auction chamber, the Delhi Capitals, who had been following the girl for some time, raised their paddle and bought her for a base price of Rs 10 lakh.

“I was quite glad when DC eventually raised the paddle. Since we don’t know how the auction operates, it was also our first time. Rakesh remembered in an interview with IANS that “it was an amazing experience – though quite a nervous one.”

Pinky was more afraid than nervous. Before Deeya’s name was called, she witnessed players go unsold. “I was afraid of what would happen when her name was spoken. When DC abruptly made the bid, I thought, “Oh God, this is what I didn’t expect, but it’s happened now.” We’re still in disbelief—did everything really happen so quickly?” she said to IANS.

Since Deeya became the youngest player to be signed in a WPL auction, nothing has been the same. “We are a typical middle-class family. I have no words to describe how our lives have changed when Deeya was selected for the WPL. We don’t really know how to respond to the numerous calls and attention she’s receiving,” Rakesh remarked.

Deeya will meet her hero in DC: Shafali Verma, the India opener who won player of the match in the ODI World Cup final last month. In Haryana’s setting, the two clicked well, and now fate has brought them together in Washington, DC.

She has long loved Shafali, and her favorite cricket player is MS Dhoni. They are all right-handed batters, by the way. Deeya can use both hands to bowl. She uses her left hand for all tasks, including writing. However, she is a right-hander when she picks up the bat,” Rakesh said.

Deeya’s aggressive style of play was influenced by watching Shafali destroy bowling attacks. When Deeya crushed an undefeated 213 off 125 balls against Tripura in the 2023 Under-15 Women’s One-Day Cup, it caught DC’s attention.

With 298 runs at 59.5 and a strike rate of 128, she placed seventh in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this year. With 151 runs at a strike rate of 149.5, she was the fourth-highest run scorer in inter-zonal T20 competition, maintaining that form.

Throughout the recent domestic season, we have kept a careful eye on Deeya Yadav, particularly during the Senior Women’s T20 and Inter Zonal competitions. Her growth has been greatly aided by playing with her hero and Haryana colleague, Shafali Verma.

“We were struck by Deeya’s daring purpose, variety of shots, and poise at such a young age throughout these tournaments. Scouts were drawn to her because of her large numbers, but we were lucky to get her at base pricing.

Deeya’s responses to various circumstances, attitude, body language, and aim are what set her apart. She plays without fear, and her tendency to fly down the earth over mid-on and mid-off is one of her most notable shots.

She is the perfect backup for that position because the Delhi Capitals have kept three important Indian hitters. CricViz analysts, who are a part of the DC scouting team, told IANS that playing with Shafali once more at the Delhi Capitals will enable her continue to develop that confidence and aggression that we strongly value.

In the middle of all of this, Rakesh, a former Delhi Under-19 player who participated in a good deal of corporate cricket, recalled the family’s stay in Pune in 2015–16. Like any other child, Deeya would alternate between skating, music, dancing, badminton, gymnastics, and whatever activity piqued her interest during a given month. She informed Rakesh one day that she wanted to play cricket and started right away.

Rakesh would take her to sessions on the weekends, when he saw her growing excitement. The nicest thing was that she was having fun there. I played cricket a little, and I could see she had a good understanding of the skills. Then she began requesting equipment and supplies, and gradually I began to assist her as well,” he remarked.

The Covid-19 epidemic could have halted Deeya’s emerging promise. The family moved to Gurugram when lockdown struck and everything became isolated. Rakesh and Deeya discovered a field close to their house where she would bat and he would toss balls because there was no official training available.

With the exception of financial issues, Rakesh had no difficulty influencing Deeya’s career. Because it’s such a demanding activity, managing funds presented some difficulties. You need top-notch coaches and equipment if you want to succeed. Despite the exorbitant expenses, we were able to make ends meet.

Pinky had to make more compromises. While Rakesh accompanied Deeya to training, she balanced the demands of the office, domestic duties, and her younger daughter’s academic schedule as a working mother. “Everyone was heading in various directions. I occasionally took time off or changed my work schedule, but I always managed to get by.

The Haryana Cricket Association is a major supporter of Deeya, who now trains at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club in Sultanpur. Rakesh is actively involved, monitoring Deeya’s development with encouraging instructors who update him on his progress. However, having played cricket in the past, he was aware of when to back off.

“When a child, especially a female, begins power hitting, they have a variety of shots on the leg-side, and we as parents shouldn’t become involved too much in the sport. However, she eventually developed shots on both sides as she began to gain some power, which allowed her to hit all over the park. Rakesh said, “Her strength and conditioning coach has also worked on her to get this.”

In 2023, Deeya was trained by Sanjay Negi, who has a training facility in Ghitorni. Her ability to make 360-degree shots was impressive, but so was her mental toughness. “She believes that even if she doesn’t run today, she will do so tomorrow. She has excellent mental health, yet the world often emphasizes technical soundness.

Negi did enhance her fundamentals, but there was still technical work to be done. “I enhanced all of that because when she first arrived, she couldn’t take singles, her fundamentals were a bit weak, she would go out to inswingers very quickly, she was quite weak when facing leg-spinners, and she had problems with backlifts. “I think it’s okay if you strengthen your weaknesses at the right time during this growing phase,” he remarked.

Deeya received harsh criticism from instructors, much like a lot of young cricket players. Pinky would tell her that everything is a part of the trip when her mood soured. “Just keep in mind that we also want you to develop and move forward. We used to explain things to her and give her the impression that everyone was on her side. She has a wonderful disposition and occasionally forgets things.

Prior to her breakthrough performance this season, Deeya battled with exhaustion and fitness issues. Deeya had a ligament damage as a result of her heavy job and bad diet. Rashmi Cherian, a sports nutritionist from Bengaluru, was consulted by Rakesh in August.

Deeya’s energy levels were an issue as an opening hitter, and recuperation was more difficult. She was exhausted from working long hours on the field, which increased her risk of overuse injuries. Deeya and Rashmi have not yet met in person; instead, they communicate over late-night or early-morning conversations because the latter is always traveling.

The change happened quickly; in just three months, a tall Deeya’s energy level rose, her recuperation increased, and her lethargy disappeared, giving her an athletic build. “Players are gifted, but their bodies are weak, thus it required a lot of work. We continue to eat our typical, home-cooked meals, although most of the time the dishes are not finished.

Yes, it is clean, sanitary, and handmade, and it has roti, veggies, dal, and rice. However, is it comprehensive and sufficient for a player? She told IANS, “I had to go further and figure out exactly what she would eat before and after training.”

Rashmi’s tolerance was first tried by Deeya’s unwillingness to adhere to dietary recommendations. Eventually, Deeya listened to the harsh remarks as well as the kind ones. “Changing eating habits is difficult for any athlete. In addition to the strain of playing games, you have been following something. You also have to consume something that you truly dislike.

“She is remarkably disciplined. Since you don’t usually receive these items and she is a vegetarian, we must make up protein. In the past, this girl would eat uncooked Amul paneer in the room. I asked, “Are you eating this raw?” after she texted me a picture of herself eating it.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m fine with eating it,” was her response. I was happy to see this and thought, “Wow, this is a good transformation.” She started hitting fifty with ease as her fitness improved, and one of them helped Haryana win the match. We no longer discuss her prior injuries because of this impact, she stated.

Deeya’s diet is continuously adjusted under Rashmi’s supervision. Depending on whether it’s a training or match day, morning calls determine whether to have idli, dosa, or uttapam. Electrolytes and supplements change according to the circumstances in each place, as do images of menu items.

Beyond diet, other aspects of the process are monitored, including hydration, recuperation, foam rolling, stretching, and sleep. Rashmi saw that Deeya’s muscular mass had increased while her fat percentage decreased even further. Deeya brings non-perishable snacks and protein bars in a bag, and Rashmi also gives a list of items.

There have been times when she had to be on the ground or at training while experiencing severe menstruation pain. After a rigorous two to three-hour training session, the players were given tea, biscuits, and pakoras. “What are you going to do?” I inquired. “Mam, I just had what you asked me to eat,” she would respond.

Despite the uncertainties, Deeya, Pinky, and Rakesh remained dedicated to pursuing a future in cricket while she was sidelined by a ligament injury. Her parents, particularly her father, were quite fussy, yet almost anyone pays much attention to this. We were unsure about her destiny when she left training. She’s doing fantastic now that I informed her father I was here to support her.

Deeya’s road to play cricket has been a difficult one; she had to study the game in Pune, move to Gurugram, endure hours of traffic to go to training sessions, balance her dietary demands, and play a variety of age-group games all the time. However, she maintained enough focus to attract DC’s notice for the 2026 WPL.

Although the WPL selection is historic, there are still more ambitious plans, especially to compete in the 2027 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. Rakesh believes that more special evenings like November 27, 2025 would occur frequently in life as Deeya scores runs for Haryana in the U23 T20 matches and Rashmi prepares a food list for her to bring in the WPL 2026.

In actuality, there isn’t any particular hope. I don’t want to place my expectations on her. She’s not old enough for it. But I want her to have fun first, just like any Indian parent. I want her to have fun wherever life leads her, and happily, she is. He said, “I want to see her play for India, and I’m sure she’ll do well if she keeps having fun and learning new things.”