Shafali Verma To Play For Sydney Sixers In Women’s BBL 2021

Indian teen-sensation Shafali Verma who signed a deal with the Birmingham Phoenix for the upcoming tournament in England ‘The Hundred’, has now grabbed another deal with the Sydney Sixers – one of the franchises from Women’s Big Bash League.

As per reports of ESPNCricinfo, Radha Yadav is also on the verge of finalising her deal with one of the two Sydney-based clubs. Aside from Verma and Yadav, at least one more India player is likely to make her maiden appearance in the tournament this season.

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

“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”, he added.

Sydney Sixers are two-time champions and are captained by Aussie star Ellyse Perry. It will be really exciting for the 17-year-old to be part of the successful franchise and share the dressing room with some of the best players in the sport.

A senior BCCI official also revealed that the WBBL could see the largest ever Indian contingent this season.

“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,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

With this deal, Shafali entered the elite list of Indian women cricketers like Veda Krishnamurty (Hobart Hurricanes), Smriti Mandhana (Hobart Hurricanes), Harmanpreet Kaur (Sydney Thunder), who have played in the league in past.

The 17-year old Indian opening batter has so far played 22 T20I matches, scoring 617 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 148.3 with three half-centuries. She has smashed 73 fours and 29 sixes in the shortest format of the game.