India teen tyro set to shake up the Sixers

India young gun Shafali Verma is set to shake up the Sydney Sixers, after signing her first Weber WBBL deal alongside national teammate Radha Yadav.

At just 17 years old, Verma is the world’s top-ranked T20I batter and has rapidly established a reputation as one of the most exciting batters in world cricket, thanks to her fearless attacking approach at the top of the order.

Yadav meanwhile adds a left-arm spin option to the Sixers’ arsenal, something they have not previously had at their disposal.

The prospect of a Verma-Alyssa Healy opening partnership will have fans of the salivating – and rival bowlers worried – and if that is the approach the Sixers take, it will see club captain Ellyse Perry take on a new role down the order.

For six seasons it has been Perry and Healy at the top of the Sixers order, and their formidable partnership – one that pitted Healy as the aggressive to Perry’s anchor – was crucial in a run that saw them claim back-to-back titles and finish runners up on two other occasions.

But after failing to make the top four the last two summers, change is in the air, as signalled by new list manager Lisa Sthalekar in July when she observed the club had not kept up with the evolution of the T20 game.

Verma, who scored her maiden ODI half-century in her team’s record-breaking victory over Australia in Mackay on Sunday, joins a star-studded Sixers batting line-up, featuring Healy, Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Erin Burns and former Australia batter Nicole Bolton.

"This is a very good opportunity for me and my goal is to just enjoy myself, to make some new friends and have fun," Verma said.

"I want to play WBBL and back myself and just believe in myself."

Verma has already formed a solid relationship with Sixers coach Ben Sawyer, playing under him – and alongside Burns – at Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred this UK summer.

In June this year, the right-hander became the youngest player, male or female, to represent India in all three formats of international cricket before she debuted for the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred under Sixers’ Head Coach Ben Sawyer.

"Shafali is very impressive. She’s such a talent and she’s fearless," Sawyer said.

"She hits to different areas of the field and plays shots that are different to the other three girls in that top four.

"The experience I had with her in Birmingham was that she wants to learn, she wants to get better and she wants to grow as a player and a person."

Meanwhile Yadav strengthens a Sixers spin attack that features off-spinners Gardner and Burns, and leg-spinners Jade Allen and Angela Reakes.

While the 21-year-old did not feature in the ODIs against Australia, she is a regular in the T20 side and sits 11th on the ICC T20I bowling rankings.

"Radha brings a skillset that we have never had at the Sixers and that’s very exciting," he said.

"I think a left-arm ortho 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."

There are now four India players confirmed to appear in WBBL|07, after the Sydney Thunder revealed they had signed Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma.

With the first 20 matches of the season moved to Tasmania, the Sixers’ Sydney and Canberra-based players flew to Hobart last Thursday to commence their fortnight of hotel quarantine.

WBBL|07 squad so far: Ellyse Perry* (c), Jade Allen, Nicole Bolton, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner*, Alyssa Healy*, Emma Hughes, Matilda Lugg, Angela Reakes, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Shafali Verma (Ind), Radha Yadav (Ind)

In: Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Nicole Bolton (Scorchers), Maitlan Brown (Renegades), Matilda Lugg, Jade Allen

Out: Marizanne Kapp (Scorchers), Dane van Niekerk, Sarah Aley (retired), Jodie Hicks, Lisa Griffith, Maddy Darke

* Australia contracted player