Chandigarh: For 16-year-old Haryana batter Deeya Yadav, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction delivered the twist she least expected. After attending trials for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and UP Warriorz, she waited with quiet optimism for one of them to call her name. Instead, it was Delhi Capitals — runners-up in each of the three seasons — who picked her up at her base price of ₹10 lakh, opening the biggest chapter yet in her young career.
For Deeya, the excitement isn’t just about entering WPL — it’s about who she will share the dressing room with. The teenager will line up alongside India opener and Haryana skipper Shafali Verma, her biggest influence in domestic cricket, and South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt, the standout batter in the recent ODI Women’s World Cup. Shafali stole the show in the final with bat and ball in India’s historic win.
“Shafali didi is an inspiration for all of us in the Haryana team. Her presence has helped me become a better cricketer. She always encouraged me to play my natural attacking game. To get a chance to be in the same WPL team as her feels amazing. And then Laura Wolvaardt has also joined DC — I am so excited,” says Deeya, who is building a reputation as a fearless stroke player.
The teenager’s rise has been rapid but far from surprising. She first caught national attention in 2023 when she hammered an unbeaten 213 off 125 balls against Tripura in the U15 One-Day Cup. Since then, consistent performances for Haryana and North Zone across age-group and senior cricket convinced DC’s scouts that Deeya is ready for the big stage.
Yadav became the youngest player to be bought at this WPL auction. Last year, it was Tamil Nadu batter G Kamalini who at 16 was bought by Mumbai Indians.
“WPL is a tremendous tournament. At 16, getting this exposure — sharing the dressing room with international stars — is a huge deal. It will help me grow and prepare for future challenges, including the U-19 Women’s World Cup in 2027,” she says.
However, cricket wasn’t always on the family’s roadmap. Her father Rakesh Yadav, an IT professional who was a former Delhi U19 cricketer, watched his eight-year-old daughter fall in love with cricket during India’s run to the 2017 Women’s World Cup final. The young girl declared that she wanted to help India win the trophy one day.
“We were living in Pune then. I told my father I wanted to learn cricket and he enrolled me in an academy. My love for the sport kept growing,” she recalls.
When the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted everything, the family shifted to Gurugram so that Deeya could join the Haryana Cricket Association setup. They rented a place close to a ground and gym, providing the environment she needed to train seriously.
“My serious cricket started in 2020. I made my U15 debut in 2023 and we won the tournament. After that, HCA supported me across all age groups. I eventually made it to the senior team, and under Shafali didi we also won the U-23 trophy,” says Deeya, who now trains at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club in Sultanpur.
Standing at 5’8”, clean ball-striking and power-hitting are qualities she has honed over the past two years. With last season unearthing talents like spinner N. Shree Charani and pacer Kranti Goud, who both played crucial roles in India’s recent ODI World Cup triumph, she believes this WPL could be her launching pad.
“This time DC should lift the WPL trophy. I don’t know if I will get a chance to play, but I will make the most of the exposure,” she says.
From a young girl who wept over the World Cup final loss, Deeya has grown into a confident teenager who is dreaming of an India high. The WPL could just facilitate her realising it.
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