Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav to play for Sydney Sixers in WBBL 2021; Hobart sign Richa Ghosh

India’s explosive young batter Shafali Verma and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav have been roped in by the Sydney Sixers for the upcoming WBBL season. Verma turned many heads with her impressive performances at the T20 World Cup 2020. She also featured for the Birmingham Phoenix in the recently concluded The Hundred tournament.

More so recently, Verma scored a half-century to fashion India’s victory in the third ODI against Australia. She thus opened up on the excitement and opportunity to feature in the WBBL.

“This is a very good opportunity for me and my goal is to just enjoy myself, to make some new friends, and have fun. I want to play WBBL and back myself and just believe in myself," she said as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Radha Yadav, on the other hand, isn’t a part of India’s Test squad but is a pivotal aspect of the team in T20s. She comes in handy with her all-rounder abilities and is all set to take the charge of the field for India in the T20I series against Australia. Sixers coach Ben Sawyer stated that the presence of a left-arm spinner would be a great opportunity for the team.

“Radha brings a skill set that we have never had at the Sixers and that's very exciting. I think a left-arm orthodox bowler is so important in the WBBL and having one who is world-class is such a great opportunity for this team. She has also batted in the middle of the order for India so she is handy with the bat too,” Sawyer said.

However, India’s keeper-batter Richa Ghosh has signed for Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL. She has been impressive in the ODI series against Australia and became the fifth Indian cricketer to sign with a franchise for the WBBL 2021.