In a landmark moment, Delhi Capitals signed 16-year-old Deeya Yadav, making her the youngest cricketer ever purchased at a WPL auction. The three-time finalists added the top-order batter at her base price of Rs 10 lakh, a move that also reconnects her with a familiar face. Deeya has spent recent seasons sharing the field with India opener Shafali Verma in Haryana’s domestic side, forging a bond that has shaped her game and her ambitions.
“Congratulations, Diya, welcome to Delhi Capitals,” Shafali wrote on Instagram, acknowledging the teenager’s step into the league.
Their association has spanned three years, during which Deeya has drawn heavily from Shafali’s approach to high-tempo batting and her composure in pressure situations. That influence is evident in the innings that lifted Deeya onto the national radar: an unbeaten 213 from 125 deliveries in the Under-15 one-day competition in Raipur, scored two seasons ago against Tripura.
“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,” Deeya told the Indian Express.
She credits that double-century for altering the course of her young career. “No one knew me then. That double century was a turning point in my career,” she recalls.
DC CEO talks about scouting Deeya
Delhi Capitals had monitored her progress closely since that breakthrough. CEO Sunil Gupta explained the franchise’s interest through U15 tournaments and the senior women’s T20 trophy, which was organised earlier in the year.
“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,” Gupta said.
Deeya’s recent form backs that assessment. She finished as Haryana’s second-highest scorer in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and contributed significantly to North Zone’s campaign in the Inter Zonal T20 event. Her cricketing roots trace back to Pune, where she first followed her father onto the field as a six-year-old, inspired by his background as a former Delhi Under-19 player.
