7 Lesser Known Facts About Delhi Capitals Player Deeya Yadav
1. Youngest ever member of the WPL: Deeya has officially etched her name in the record books as the youngest player ever purchased and played in the Premier League Women. Bee 16 years and 103 daysshe overshadowed the Mumbai Indians Gmaswhich had set the previous record in 2025, a record of 16 years and 213 days. Signed for INR 10 lakh at the 2026 mega auction, Deeya’s entry at such a young age marks her as a generational wonder whose physical maturity and sense of power are already considered elite level.
2. Birth, early spark and the ‘Indoor Academy’: Deeya was born on October 9, 2009, in Pune, where her cricketing seeds were first sown. Inspired by India’s 2017 World Cup run, she convinced her father: Rakesh Yadav (a former Delhi U-19 player), to let her play. For almost a year, since she was just eight, her father came to their house every day to hone her reflexes. This intimate, early training laid the foundation for her hand-eye coordination before she became the very first female college student Aryans Cricket Academy in Pune.
3. Parental Sacrifice and the Strategic Move to Haryana: The trajectory of Deeya’s career was saved by a major family decision during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the lockdowns halted training in Pune, the Yadav family moved to Gurugram in 2020 specifically to enroll her in the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Academy. This step was instrumental, because the hair is under the umbrella of the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA)which is known for its high-quality culture and fitness standards. Her father, an IT professional, even managed the family finances through the exacting costs of top-of-the-line equipment and academy fees, giving Deeya a compound close to their home where he could continue to throw balls at her when the formal academies were closed.
4. The Historical Double Century: Deeya’s name became a sensation in November 2023 during the One-day trophy for ladies under 15 years in Raipur. While 35 overs made up an innings, she played an unbeaten marathon of 213 runs off just 125 balls. She finished the tournament as the second highest run-getter with 578 runs, at an average of a whopping 96.33, and even struck a century in the final against Delhi to help Haryana lift the trophy.
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5. Break through to the next level: Despite her young age, Deeya’s transition to senior cricket was meteoric, helping her make her breakthrough in the 2023-2024 season. In the run-up to the WPL auction, she maintained incredible consistency across three formats, scoring 298 runs in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, 151 in the Interzonal T20 and 255 in the U-23 tournament. This ‘breakthrough campaign’ proved that she could dominate not only her peers, but also seasoned professional bowlers.
6. A unique, powerful technical profile: While scouts call her ‘Chhoti Shafali’ for her unadulterated power, DC scout Ananya Upendran notes an important technical difference. In contrast to the leg-side dominance that Shafali showed early on, the 6-foot-4 Deeya is exceptionally strong from the front foot and feeds from out wide, showing great fluidity through the offside. Her large presence allows her to comfortably handle high speeds, making her a versatile threat on the power play, a quality that prompted DC CEO Sunil Gupta to follow her since she was only 14 years old.
7. The vegetarian ‘power’ discipline: To maintain the strength needed to cross the 65-meter mark, Deeya follows a strict vegetarian lifestyle that requires extreme discipline during treks. Since it can be difficult to find protein while traveling, her mother, Pinky, ensures she has a steady supply of specific nutrients, and Deeya is known to eat raw paneer straight from the package to meet her high protein needs. This dedication to nutrition, combined with the rigorous HCA fitness regimen, is the secret behind her “unadulterated power” and explosive bat speed.
8. The auction gymnastics session and future goals: Deeya famously found out she had been picked for the WPL while in the middle of a gym session in Thiruvananthapuram. During the 2026 auction, she huddled around a cell phone with her teammates between sets, and the gym erupted in cheers when Delhi submitted the winning bid. Despite the sudden fame of becoming a WPL star, she remains focused on her next big goal: representing India at the 2027 U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and helping the senior team finally lift a world trophy.
It had to be Dilli. It had to be Shafali who handed her the cap 💙❤️
Be well, Deeya 👊 pic.twitter.com/0mpN4TXzjQ
— Capitals of Delhi (@DelhiCapitals) January 20, 2026
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This article was first published on WomenCricket.coma Cricket Times company.
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