India’s sensational players Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav are all set to make their debuts at the Women’s Big Bash League for the 2021 season.
It is understood that Verma, the 17-year-old youngster, has signed with the two-time champions Sydney Sixers, and Radga Yadav, the sensational teenage bowler, will soon be signing a contract with either the Sydney Thunder or Sydney Sixer. Also, apart from these two players, one more player from the Indian contingent will be making her debut at the WBBL which is scheduled at the end of this year, reports Annesha Ghosh for ESPN Cricinfo.
“Yes, Shafali has signed the contract with Sydney Sixers, and given she is a minor, I have had to give my consent, too. I would like to thank the BCCI and Haryana Cricket Association [HCA] 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,” Sanjeev Verma, Shafali’s father, was quoted saying according to ESPNcricinfo.
India’s Radha Yadav will also make her debut appearance in WBBL this season.
Source: @ghosh_annesha / ESPN Cricinfo pic.twitter.com/Ta9KYlOClS
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 13, 2021
Only three Indian players have played at the WBBL so far. In the 2016-17 edition of the tournament, India T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana were a part of Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat respectively.
Kaur continued with the Thunders for 3 seasons back to back, while Mandhana went on to play for Hobart Hurricanes in the 2018-19 version of the tournament. The third player to have participated in the WBBL is Veda Krishnamurthy who played the tournament for the Hurricanes in 2017-18.
JUST IN:
Look who’s joining Women’s Big Bash League this season – SHAFALI VERMA!! 😃😃
She will be playing for Sydney Sixers! #WBBL | @TheShafaliVerma pic.twitter.com/cRYoiZwT3L
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 13, 2021
The last season of the WBBL did not see any Indian player in any of the teams as the teams focused on the 2020 World Cup. Another reason was the clash of Women’s T20 Challenge Trophy and WBBL, because of which the Indian players couldn’t join the WBBL and the foreign players couldn’t be a part of the Women’s T20 Challenge.
“All players who have been or will be approached by Big Bash teams will be given all necessary permissions to participate in the WBBL this season,” a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo.
The seventh season of the WBBL will be held between October-November this year, and all the overseas players will have to undergo a 14-days quarantine after their arrival to Australia. Verma will also be joining Kaur, Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma in the inaugural season of The Hundred, which is set to begin in London on July 21, 2021.
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