Shafali Verma Biography: Picture a nine-year-old girl walking into a cricket academy she was never supposed to enter. Her hair is freshly cut short.
She is dressed as a boy. Nobody knows who she really is but in that moment, it does not matter. She is there to play cricket, and nothing in the world is going to stop her.
That girl is Shafali Verma. Today, at just 22 years of age, she holds the fastest double century in women’s Test history and was the Player of the Match in a World Cup final she was not even originally picked for drafted in as an replacement just days before the semi-final after an injury to a teammate.
She is the most feared opening batter in women’s cricket a player who hits sixes the way others hit singles, and who plays with a freedom that most batters spend their entire careers chasing.
This is the story of how a fearless girl from Rohtak, Haryana, broke every rule, broke every record, and in the process, broke open the doors of women’s cricket for an entire generation.
Personal Profile
| Full Name | Shafali Verma |
| Date of Birth | 28 January 2004 |
| Birthplace | Rohtak, Haryana, India |
| Batting Style | Right-hand bat — Aggressive Power Hitter |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm Off-break |
| Role | Opening Batter / Occasional Bowler |
| Domestic Team | Haryana |
| WPL Team | Delhi Capitals |
| International Debut | T20I vs South Africa, 24 Sept 2019 (age 15) |
| Father | Sanjeev Verma (Jewellery Shop Owner & First Coach) |
| Mother | Parveen Bala (Homemaker) |
| Estimated Net Worth | ₹10–15 crore (approx. $1.2M–$1.8M USD) |
Early Life and Background
Shafali Verma was born on 28 January 2004 in Rohtak, Haryana, one of India’s most cricket-loving regions.
She grew up in a middle-class family with her father Sanjeev Verma, a jewellery shop owner who loved cricket, and her mother Parveen Bala, a homemaker.
Cricket was always a big part of life in the Verma household.
In the early 2010s, Rohtak had very limited opportunities for girls who wanted to play cricket professionally.
Most academies were meant for boys, and proper coaching for girls was rare. However, Shafali’s family strongly supported her dream and encouraged her to continue playing.
A major turning point came in 2013 when her father took nine-year-old Shafali to watch Sachin Tendulkar play his final domestic Ranji Trophy match at Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium.
Shafali Verma Biography: The atmosphere and admiration for Tendulkar deeply inspired her, and she told her father she wanted to play serious cricket with a proper leather ball.
Shafali studied at St. Paul’s School and later Mandeep Senior Secondary School in Rohtak.
Because of her strong focus on cricket, she once failed her Class 10 board exams but later cleared them.
As of 2025, she has also been pursuing her graduation from Rohtak University, showing determination both on and off the field.
Introduction to Cricket
Shafali Verma Biography: She began learning cricket at home, where her father Sanjeev Verma became her first coach.
He trained her in local nets along with her brother Sahil and even motivated her with a small reward, five rupees for every six she hit.
This fun challenge helped develop the powerful batting style she is known for today.
When Sanjeev tried to enroll her in a cricket academy, they refused because girls were not accepted.
Determined to support her dream, he cut her hair short and enrolled her as a boy at the Shree Ram Narain Cricket Academy under coach Ashwani Kumar.
There, she trained with older boys and even faced bowlers from the Haryana men’s team, which made her fearless at a young age.
At just nine years old, she once replaced her sick brother in a local Under-12 tournament, playing under his name and disguised as him.
She ended up winning both Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament.
Her big breakthrough came in 2019 when her explosive batting for the Velocity team in the Women’s T20 Challenge caught the attention of selectors.
Soon after, she received her first call-up to the Indian national team.
Domestic Career
Shafali made her debut for the senior Haryana team at the age of 13.
Shafali Verma Biography: She was immediately impossible to ignore her power-hitting, her fearlessness against pace, and her natural eye for the ball made her the most exciting young batter in the domestic circuit.
Her greatest domestic statement came in 2024, after she was dropped from the national ODI squad.
Rather than retreat, she responded with a brutal 197 off 115 balls for Haryana against Bengal in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy one of the highest individual scores in Indian women’s domestic List A history.
She followed it with a full-season haul of 527 runs in the BCCI One-Day Trophy at an average of 75.28 and a strike rate of 152.31.
In the 2025 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, she continued her dominance with a century off 61 balls against Himachal Pradesh.
For Shafali, domestic cricket has never been a consolation prize. It is the arena where she settles scores and sharpens the blade.
International Career
Shafali Verma made her international debut for India on 24 September 2019 in a T20 International against the South Africa women’s national cricket team at just 15 years old.
With this, she became the youngest Indian woman to play T20Is. Known for her fearless and aggressive batting, Shafali quickly impressed selectors and fans alike.
In that debut series, she delivered strong performances at the top of the order and was named Player of the Series, announcing her arrival on the international stage.
She made her Test debut in June 2021 against the England women’s national cricket team in Bristol.
In a remarkable start to her red-ball career, she scored 96 runs in the first innings and 63 in the second, narrowly missing a century. With these innings, she became the youngest woman to score two half-centuries on Test debut.
At just 17 years and 150 days, she also became one of the youngest Indian cricketers across men’s and women’s cricket to have played in all three international formats.
One of the greatest moments of her Test career came on 28 June 2024 in Chennai against South Africa.
In that match, Shafali produced a historic innings of 205 runs off 197 balls, registering the fastest double century in women’s Test cricket.
During the same match, she and fellow opener Smriti Mandhana built a massive 292-run opening partnership, which became a world-record opening stand in women’s Test cricket.
Her journey also had a dramatic chapter during the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. Shafali was not included in the original squad, but she was called in as an injury replacement before the semi-finals.
In the final against South Africa on 2 November 2025, she played a crucial role by scoring 87 runs off 78 balls and also contributed with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 36 runs.
Her all-round performance helped India secure the World Cup title, and she was named Player of the Match in the final.
Career Statistics (as of March 2026)
| Format | Matches | Runs | Average | High Score | 100s / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 6 | 607 | 55.18 | 205 | 1 / 3 |
| ODI | 32 | 745 | 24.03 | 87 | 0 / 5 |
| T20I | 98 | 2,519 | 27.68 | 81 | 0 / 14 |
| WPL | 37 | 1,124 | 33.06 | 84 | 0 / 7 |
Franchise Career WPL and Global Leagues
Shafali Verma is one of the most marketable names in franchise cricket.
She was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals in the inaugural Women’s Premier League auction in 2023 for ₹2 crore, and retained for the 2026 season at ₹2.2 crore.
She has repaid every rupee of that investment and then some.
In early 2026, she became the first batter in WPL history to hit 50 sixes a milestone that requires no further explanation.
She is the second Indian player after Harmanpreet Kaur to cross 1,000 career WPL runs (1,124 runs in 37 matches), and she holds the record for the most runs scored against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in WPL history.
Internationally, she was among the first Indian women to be signed for The Hundred in England, representing Birmingham Phoenix.
In the inaugural edition, she struck 76 not out off 42 balls against Welsh Fire and recorded the fastest fifty in the competition’s history at that time 22 balls.
She also represented the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League during th2021/22 season, scoring a match-winning fifty on debut for the franchise.
Career Highlights and Records
• Youngest Indian to score an international fifty broke Sachin Tendulkar’s 30-year record at age 15 years and 285 days.
• Fastest double century in women’s Test history — 205 off 197 balls (reached 200 in 194 balls) vs South Africa, 2024.
• World-record 292-run opening partnership in women’s Tests with Smriti Mandhana.
• Youngest Indian (17y 150d) to play all three international formats Test, ODI, T20I.
• Youngest player (male or female) to score a fifty in an ODI World Cup final age 21, 2025.
• Youngest cricketer to complete 1,000 T20I runs 8 October 2022.
• ICC Women’s T20I batting ranking No. 1 achieved at age 16 during the 2020 T20 World Cup.
• First batter in WPL history to hit 50 sixes.
• Captain of India’s inaugural ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup-winning team, 2023 India’s first-ever global ICC women’s trophy.
Awards and Achievements
• ICC Women’s Player of the Month — November 2025
• Player of the Match — 2025 ODI World Cup Final (87 runs & 2 wickets)
• Winning Captain — ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023
• ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Winner — 2025
• Commonwealth Games Silver Medal — Birmingham 2022
• ACC Women’s Asia Cup Winner — 2022
• Player of the Match on Test debut — 96 & 63 vs England, 2021
• Player of the Series — debut T20I series vs West Indies, 2019
• Brand Ambassador — Haryana State Commission for Women, 2026
Net Worth and Endorsements
As of March 2026, Shafali Verma has an estimated net worth of ₹10–15 crore (around $1.2–$1.8 million).
Her earnings increased significantly after India’s victory in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup.
Her main income sources include a BCCI Grade A central contract worth ₹50 lakh per year, international match fees (which can reach ₹15 lakh per Test match), and a ₹2.2 crore Women’s Premier League (WPL) contract with the Delhi Capitals for 2026.
She also received a ₹1.5 crore reward from the Government of Haryana for her Player of the Match performance in the World Cup final.
Apart from cricket, Shafali earns through brand endorsements with companies like Nike, Puma, SG, Bank of Baroda, My11Circle, and Hero MotoCorp.
In 2026, she was also appointed Brand Ambassador for the Haryana State Commission for Women, promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality in sports.
Lesser-Known Facts
The “Sahil Verma” Secret: At age nine, she replaced her sick brother in a local U-12 tournament under his name and won Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament.
₹5-Per-Six Reward: Her father motivated her by giving ₹5 for every six she hit in practice, which helped develop her powerful batting style.
Preferred Playing with Boys: She often trained with boys and senior bowlers from Haryana because she wanted to face faster bowling and tougher competition.
Failed Class 10 Once: Due to constant travel for cricket, she failed her Class 10 board exams, but later cleared them and continued her studies.
Love for Haryanvi Food: She enjoys traditional dishes like churma and kadai paneer, which her teammates jokingly say power her big sixes.
Superstitious About Gloves: If she scores well with a particular pair of batting gloves, she keeps using them until they wear out, believing they bring luck.
Shafali Verma’s story is one of the most remarkable in modern cricket not just women’s cricket, but cricket, full stop.
She grew up in a system that was not built for her and dismantled it one six at a time.
She broke a record held by Sachin Tendulkar. She won a World Cup she wasn’t supposed to be part of.
She became the first batter to hit 50 sixes in the WPL. She did all of this before turning 23.
At 22, she is only just beginning. The best of Shafali Verma is still to come.
Biography By: Namita Deora
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