Shafali Verma signed a contract with Sydney Sixers.
India women's team’s young big-hitter Shafali Verma and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav are set to make their debuts in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL 2021) later this year in Australia.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Shafali has already signed a contract with the two-time champions Sydney Sixers while 21-year-old Radha is also on the verge of signing the contract with one of two Sydney-based teams for the WBBL 2021-2022.
The 17-year-old Verma will also travel alongside her India teammates Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues to England to play in the inaugural edition of the Hundred, the 100-ball domestic competition of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The swashbuckling opener will play for Birmingham Phoenix, while Harmanpreet and Mandhana will be representing Manchester Originals and Southern Brave respectively in The Hundred.
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Shafali's father, Sanjeev, said: “Yes, Shafali has signed the contract with Sydney Sixers and given she is a minor, I have had to give my consent, too.”
He added, “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.”
Meanwhile, a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo on the condition of anonymity, “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.”
Noteworthy, the seventh edition of the WBBL 2021 is likely to be held in its usual October-November window with the overseas stars expected to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine in Australia.
(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)