Women's IPL 2020: Shafali Verma IPL team, T20 stats and records
At the tender age of 16, Shafali Verma has taken world cricket by storm, with her exploits in the previous edition of the Women's IPL as well as the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup held in Australia.
The explosive right-handed batter first grabbed the attention of fans while playing for Haryana in domestic tournaments. This was mainly due to her attacking style of play and ability to clear the boundary rope with ease.
Verma's consistent performances in the past year have made her one of the most exciting prospects in women's cricket.
International career
On September 24, 2019, Shafali Verma became the youngest player to ever play international cricket for India, when she made her debut against South Africa in Surat at the age of 15.
Verma's burgeoning talent and exploits with the bat helped her secure a berth in the Indian team for this year's T20 World Cup.
With scores of 29, 39 and 46 in the first three games of the competition, Verma smashed the world record for a player with the highest strike rate in a single edition of the tournament.
Shafali Verma scored 114 runs in the three innings with a strike rate of 172.72, including 11 boundaries and eight hits over the fence.
Just before the semi-finals against England, Verma attained a new high as she became the youngest player to be ranked as the number one T20 batter in international cricket.
In her 19 matches for the national side, Verma has scored 487 runs at an average of 27.05, with a couple of half-centuries.
IPL stats
The Women's T20 Challenge indeed proved to be a stepping stone for Shafali Verma in her bid to don the national jersey. Velocity's opening game last year enabled the world to notice the talent and ability of this teenager.
Chasing 113 runs to win against the Trailblazers, the young batting sensation started in commanding fashion and scored 34 runs off 31 balls, with five boundaries and one maximum.
Along with Danielle Wyatt, she helped the team build a strong foundation and register a comfortable win.
With exposure at the international level and plenty of lessons from the last edition of the tournament, Shafali Verma will be the player to watch out for this season.