At 16 years and 103 days, Deeya Yadav became the youngest WPL debutant in the history of the tournament.
“Now that it had happened, it doesn’t feel real,” said an overwhelmed Deeya Yadav after she was picked in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction for INR 10 Lakhs.
Little did she know, there would be something more wonderful waiting for her midway through the season. The 16-year-old aggressive batter became the youngest WPL debutant when she was handed her cap to represent the Delhi Capitals (DC) against Mumbai Indians in Vadodara.
Deeya Yadav is a top-order batter from Haryana, and the only link with the DC side until a few weeks ago was Shafali Verma. The two have been playing together for their state in domestic cricket. The DC management will hope that the inclusion of Deeya Yadav will help in a change of fortunes for the side.
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Well, it would be too early to expect a lot from Deeya Yadav straightaway in her maiden game at the biggest stage. However, the youngster has shown that she does have the potential to thrive in big moments, with consistent performances in the domestic circuit.
In the domestic T20 Women’s trophy 2025-26, Deeya smashed 298 runs in eight innings, averaging a humongous 59.50 across the tournament. And it did not stop there! She carried the same form into the inter-zonal T20 competition, with her strike-rate touching 150 in the tournament.
After such breakthroughs, comparisons with Shafali Verma were obvious, and that is exactly what happened. The youngster will now find a place in the DC batting order, but might have to wait for a chance at the top of the order.
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