New Delhi: Exactly a week ago, IT professionals Pinky and Rakesh Yadav endured a nerve-wracking evening. While Pinky was at home, Rakesh was on his way back from office. Just 18 kilometres away, their 16-year-old daughter Deeya’s name was about to flash up in the WPL auction.
While Deeya was with Haryana’s 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 10-15 seconds before Delhi Capitals – who were tracking the teenager for a while – raised their paddle and took her in at a base price of Rs 10 lakh.
“When finally DC raised the paddle, I was hugely relieved. It was our first experience as well because we aren’t aware of how the auction works. So it was an amazing experience – though quite a nervous one,” recalled Rakesh in a chat with IANS.
For Pinky, more than nerves, it was fear. She watched players go unsold before Deeya’s 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 – like did this happen for real and so soon?” she told IANS.
Life hasn’t been the same since Deeya became the youngest player to be signed in a WPL auction. “We are just a very normal middle-class family. I don’t have words to explain about how life has been for us after Deeya got picked for WPL. She’s getting a lot of attention, many phone calls are coming and we don’t actually know how to react to it,” said Rakesh.
At DC, Deeya will reunite with her idol – India opener Shafali Verma, player of the match in last month’s ODI World Cup final. The pair bonded well in Haryana’s setup, and now destiny has placed them together in DC.
“Shafali has been her favourite for a long time and MS Dhoni is also her favourite cricketer. Co-incidentally all are right-handed 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 right-hander,” said Rakesh.
Watching Shafali dismantle bowling attacks shaped Deeya’s game, where aggression is the fulcrum. In the 2023 Under-15 Women’s One-Day Cup, Deeya smashed an unbeaten 213 off 125 balls against Tripura, an innings which put her on DC’s radar.
This year, she finished as fifth highest run-getter in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy – 298 runs at 59.5 with a strike rate of 128. She maintained that form by being the fourth highest run-getter in inter-zonal T20 competition – 151 runs coming at a strike rate of 149.5.
“We have been tracking Deeya Yadav closely through the recent domestic season, especially during the Senior Women’s T20 and Inter Zonal tournaments. Playing alongside her Haryana teammate and idol Shafali Verma has been a vital part of her development.”
“Deeya 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 price.”
“What 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 mid-on and mid-off.”
“With 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 highly,” said CricViz analysts, who are a part of the DC scouting team, to IANS.
Amidst all this, Rakesh – a former Delhi Under-19 player who played a fair bit of corporate cricket – recalled the time in 2015/16, 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 immediately.
Rakesh would drive her to weekend sessions, where he watched her enthusiasm grow. “She 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 her,” he said.
Deeya’s budding promise could have been derailed by the Covid-19 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 bat.
Rakesh faced no major challenges in shaping Deeya’s career – barring money matters. “There were some challenges to manage finances as it’s a very demanding sport. If you want to excel, then you need top-notch equipment and coaches. The fees were quite high, but we managed somehow.”
For Pinky, the sacrifices were greater. As a working mother, she juggled office demands, household responsibilities, and younger daughter’s school routine – 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 somehow.”
Deeya 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 Deeya’s progress with supportive coaches who keep him informed. But as a former cricketer himself, he knew when to step back.
“We 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 leg-side. 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 this,” said Rakesh.
Sanjay Negi, who runs a training centre in Ghitorni, coached Deeya in 2023. What stood out wasn’t just her 360-degree shot-making – it was her mental strength. “She has a mindset that if I don’t make a run today, I will make it again tomorrow. The world usually stresses on being technically sound, but she is mentally very sound.”
Technically, there was work to do, and Negi did strengthen her basics. “When she first came, she couldn’t take singles, basics were a little poor, would get out to inswingers very quickly, was very weak in facing leg-spinners and had issues in backlift – so I strengthened all of that. My belief is if you strengthen weaknesses on time in this growing phase, it’s fine,” he said.
Like many young cricketers, Deeya copped stern words from coaches. Her mood would drop and Pinky would remind her: it’s all part of the journey. “I 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 while.”
Before having a breakout time in this season, Deeya struggled with fitness and recurring fatigue. Heavy workloads and poor diet left her injury-prone, as Deeya dealt with a ligament injury. In August, Rakesh sought help from Bengaluru-based sports nutritionist Rashmi Cherian.
As an opening batter, Deeya’s 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 calls.
The 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 home-cooked food, but mostly plates are incomplete.”
“Yes, 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 training,” she said to IANS.
Deeya’s reluctance to follow nutritional advice initially tested Rashmi’s patience. The stern words came, so did caring ones and eventually, Deeya listened. “For any athlete, it’s not easy to change food habits. You’ve been following something and then you have your pressure of playing games. On top of that, you have to eat something which you really don’t like.”
“Her discipline is remarkable. We have to make up protein as she’s 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, ‘Are you eating this raw?’”
“Her reply was, ‘Yes mam, I’m okay to eat it’. 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 don’t talk about her previous injuries anymore,” she said.
Through Rashmi’s guidance, Deeya’s diet is constantly fine-tuned. Morning calls decide between eating dosa, uttapam or idli, depending on whether it’s a match day or training day. Supplements and electrolytes shift with each city’s conditions, so as pictures of food menus.
The process goes beyond nutrition – hydration, recovery, foam rolling, stretching, and sleep are monitored. Rashmi noted Deeya’s fat percentage has dropped further while muscle mass improved significantly. Rashmi also provides a food list and Deeya carries protein bars and non-perishable foods in a bag.
“Instances have happened where she has to be on ground or at training while the menstrual pain was intense. Once, she finished an intense 2-3 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 eat’.”
When 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 didn’t know what her future was. I told her father that I am there to help and now she’s doing great.”
Deeya’s 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 age-group games. Yet her focus remained sharp enough to catch DC’s attention for 2026 WPL.
The WPL selection is a breakthrough moment, but bigger goals loom – particularly to play the 2027 U19 Women’s 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 life.
“Actually, there is no special hope. I don’t want to put my hopes on her shoulders. She’s 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. I’m sure if she keeps on enjoying, and learning new things, she will definitely do good and I want to see her playing for India,” he concluded.
(IANS)
