Meet Deeya Yadav, who makes historic WPL entry, to play alongside Shafali Verma

Exactly a week ago IT professionals Pinky and Rakesh Yadav endured a nervewracking evening While Pinky was at home Rakesh was on his way back from office Just 18 kilometres away their 16yearold daughter Deeyas name was about to flash up in the WPL auctionWhile Deeya was with Haryanas U23 squad in Kerala for the T20 games nervousness peaked within Pinky and Rakesh when auctioneer Mallika Sagar took her name The auction room was quiet for 1015 seconds before Delhi Capitals ndash who were tracking the teenager for a while raised their paddle and took her in at a base price of Rs 10 lakhWhen finally DC raised the paddle I was hugely relieved It was our first experience as well because we arenrsquot aware of how the auction works So it was an amazing experience though quite a nervous onerdquo recalled Rakesh in a chat with IANSFor Pinky more than nerves it was fear She watched players go unsold before Deeyas name came I was scared that when her name comes up what would happen But suddenly DC came and made the bid I was like Oh God I was not expecting this but it has happened now We are still in shock ndash like did this happen for real and so soon she told IANSLife hasnt been the same since Deeya became the youngest player to be signed in a WPL auction We are just a very normal middleclass family I dont have words to explain about how life has been for us after Deeya got picked for WPL Shes getting a lot of attention many phone calls are coming and we dont actually know how to react to itrdquo said RakeshAt DC Deeya will reunite with her idol India opener Shafali Verma player of the match in last months ODI World Cup final The pair bonded well in Haryanas setup and now destiny has placed them together in DCldquoShafali has been her favourite for a long time and MS Dhoni is also her favourite cricketer Coincidentally all are righthanded batters Deeya can bowl with both hands She does all work including writing with her left hand But when she picks up the bat she is a righthanderrdquo said RakeshWatching Shafali dismantle bowling attacks shaped Deeyas game where aggression is the fulcrum In the 2023 Under15 Womens OneDay Cup Deeya smashed an unbeaten 213 off 125 balls against Tripura an innings which put her on DCs radarThis year she finished as fifth highest rungetter in the Senior Womens T20 Trophy 298 runs at 595 with a strike rate of 128 She maintained that form by being the fourth highest rungetter in interzonal T20 competition 151 runs coming at a strike rate of 1495ldquoWe have been tracking Deeya Yadav closely through the recent domestic season especially during the Senior Womenrsquos T20 and Inter Zonal tournaments Playing alongside her Haryana teammate and idol Shafali Verma has been a vital part of her developmentrdquoldquoDeeya showed fearless intent a wide array of shots and composure at a young age which impressed us during these competitions Her numbers were strong and she caught the attention of scouts but we were fortunate to pick her at base pricerdquoldquoWhat makes Deeya stand out are her reactions to different situations attitude body language and intent She plays fearlessly and one of her most standout shots is how she likes to go aerial down the ground over midon and midoffrdquoldquoWith Delhi Capitals having retained three key Indian batters she is the ideal backup player for that role Playing alongside Shafali again at Delhi Capitals will help her continue to develop that confidence and aggression which we value highlyrdquo said CricViz analysts who are a part of the DC scouting team to IANSAmidst all this Rakesh a former Delhi Under19 player who played a fair bit of corporate cricket ndash recalled the time in 201516 when the family was in Pune Deeya was like any other kid hopping between skating music dance badminton gymnastics whatever caught her eye in a particular month One day she told Rakesh about wanting to play cricket and took to it immediatelyRakesh would drive her to weekend sessions where he watched her enthusiasm grow ldquoShe was enjoying herself there and that was the best part Based on the little bit of cricket I played I saw she grasped the skillsets very well Then she started asking for equipment kit and slowly I also started helping herrdquo he saidDeeyarsquos budding promise could have been derailed by the Covid19 pandemic When lockdown hit and everything went remote the family relocated to Gurugram With no formal training available Rakesh and Deeya found a ground near their home he would throw balls and she would batRakesh faced no major challenges in shaping Deeyas career ndash barring money matters ldquoThere were some challenges to manage finances as its a very demanding sport If you want to excel then you need topnotch equipment and coaches The fees were quite high but we managed somehowrdquoFor Pinky the sacrifices were greater As a working mother she juggled office demands household responsibilities and younger daughters school routine ndash even as Rakesh went with Deeya for training Everyone was going in different paths Sometimes I took a leave or shifted my work late or early but I managed somehowDeeya now trains at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club in Sultanpur and is strongly supported by the Haryana Cricket Association Rakesh stays closely involved tracking Deeyas progress with supportive coaches who keep him informed But as a former cricketer himself he knew when to step backWe as parents should not interfere much in the sport and when a kid starts doing power hitting especially girls they have a range of shots on the legside But over a period of time when she started gaining some strength she developed shots on both sides and that gives her the ability to hit around the park Her strength and conditioning coach has also worked on her to get thisrdquo said RakeshSanjay Negi who runs a training centre in Ghitorni coached Deeya in 2023 What stood out wasnt just her 360degree shotmaking it was her mental strength She has a mindset that if I dont make a run today I will make it again tomorrow The world usually stresses on being technically sound but she is mentally very soundTechnically there was work to do and Negi did strengthen her basics ldquoWhen she first came she couldnrsquot take singles basics were a little poor would get out to inswingers very quickly was very weak in facing legspinners and had issues in backlift so I strengthened all of that My belief is if you strengthen weaknesses on time in this growing phase its finerdquo he saidLike many young cricketers Deeya copped stern words from coaches Her mood would drop and Pinky would remind her its all part of the journey ldquoI would say just think that we also want you to grow and go ahead We used to make her understand and get her to feel that everyone is with her She is very good nature wise and forgets things in a whilerdquoBefore having a breakout time in this season Deeya struggled with fitness and recurring fatigue Heavy workloads and poor diet left her injuryprone as Deeya dealt with a ligament injury In August Rakesh sought help from Bengalurubased sports nutritionist Rashmi CherianAs an opening batter Deeyarsquos energy levels were a concern while recovery was harder Long hours on the field left her drained meaning fatigue was high so as risk of overuse injuries Rashmi and Deeya are yet to meet in person and with the latter constantly on the road they connect via late night or early morning callsThe transformation was swift within three months energy surged recovery improved fatigue vanished giving a tall Deeya an athletic build It took a lot of effort because players are talented but their bodies are weak We stick to our traditional and regular homecooked food but mostly plates are incompleterdquoldquoYes it has roti vegetables dal and rice is clean hygienic and homemade But is it complete and enough for a player I had to dig deeper and work around right from what she will eat before and after trainingrdquo she said to IANSDeeyas reluctance to follow nutritional advice initially tested Rashmis patience The stern words came so did caring ones and eventually Deeya listened ldquoFor any athlete its not easy to change food habits Youve been following something and then you have your pressure of playing games On top of that you have to eat something which you really dont likerdquoHer discipline is remarkable We have to make up protein as shes vegetarian and you do not get these things regularly This girl used to eat Amul raw paneer in the room Once she sent me a photo of eating that and I was like lsquoAre you eating this rawrsquordquoldquoHer reply was lsquoYes mam Im okay to eat itrsquo So I was like wow this is a good transformation and I was glad to see this When her fitness became better she began to strike fifties effortlessly and one of them won the game for Haryana Such has been the effect that we donrsquot talk about her previous injuries anymorerdquo she saidThrough Rashmirsquos guidance Deeyas diet is constantly finetuned Morning calls decide between eating dosa uttapam or idli depending on whether its a match day or training day Supplements and electrolytes shift with each citys conditions so as pictures of food menusThe process goes beyond nutrition hydration recovery foam rolling stretching and sleep are monitored Rashmi noted Deeyas fat percentage has dropped further while muscle mass improved significantly Rashmi also provides a food list and Deeya carries protein bars and nonperishable foods in a bagldquoInstances have happened where she has to be on ground or at training while the menstrual pain was intense Once she finished an intense 23 hours training session and players were served tea biscuit and pakoras I asked What are you going to do She would reply Mam I just had what you asked me to eatWhen Deeya was down with ligament injury she Pinky and Rakesh stayed committed to making a career out of playing cricket despite the uncertainty Hardly anybody focuses on this but her parents were very particular especially her father When she was out of training we didnt know what her future was I told her father that I am there to help and now shes doing greatrdquoDeeyas journey to play cricket has been demanding learning the game in Pune relocating to Gurugram enduring hours of traffic for attending training sessions while balancing her nutritional needs and constantly play various agegroup games Yet her focus remained sharp enough to catch DCs attention for 2026 WPLThe WPL selection is a breakthrough moment but bigger goals loom ndash particularly to play the 2027 U19 Womens T20 World Cup As Deeya piles on runs for Haryana in the U23 T20 games and Rashmi prepares a food list for her to carry in WPL 2026 Rakesh hopes for more memorable evenings like November 27 2025 to come often in lifeldquoActually there is no special hope I dont want to put my hopes on her shoulders Shersquos too young for that But like every parent in India I want her to enjoy first Wherever destiny takes her I want her to enjoy and thankfully she is enjoying Im sure if she keeps on enjoying and learning new things she will definitely do good and I want to see her playing for Indiardquo he concludedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever