Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav set for maiden WBBL stints

ESPNcricinfo reported on Thursday (May 13). Verma will turn out for the outfit in pink, Sydney Sixers.

“Yes, Shafali has signed the contract with Sydney Sixers, and given she is a minor, I have had to give my consent, too,” Sanjeev, Verma’s father, was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.

“I would like to thank the BCCI and Haryana Cricket Association for giving my daughter the permission and support to play in the WBBL. Without the guidance of the HCA, whatever Shafali is doing in her career wouldn't have been possible.”

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Verma seemed to have finalised the deal with Sixers before signing up with Birmingham Phoenix for the Hundred.

"She will re-unite with her Sixers coach Sawyer and the experience should help her grow further in what has been a very positive road forward for the youngster," a source was quoted as saying to ANI.

Yadav, meanwhile, would be finalising her contract with one of either Sydney Thunder – the current WBBL champions – or Sixers. The left-arm spin bowling allrounder is currently in a record run of 26 T20Is, where she has picked at least one wicket. Reportedly, BCCI will be giving NOCs to all those players who will be approached by the WBBL sides.

Verma, the 17-year-old explosive batter, will make her maiden appearance in an overseas league when she plays the Hundred. Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues are the others who will be featuring in ECB’s newest competition.