Poonam Yadav (Cricketer) Height, Age, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Poonam Yadav

• Poonam Yadav is an Indian cricketer who plays for India’s national cricket team. She has played for Central Zone, Uttar Pradesh, and Railways in domestic cricket. In 2023, she was bought by the franchise team Delhi Capitals for the Women’s Premier League (WPL).

• Originally, her family hails from Mahuahar village in the Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh. In 1990, her family settled in Agra, and a year later, Poonam was born.

• She was athletic since childhood and used to play multiple sports, but she was ridiculed for her short height. However, in cricket, her short height became a blessing in disguise for her, making her a highly skilled leg-spinner.

• Growing up, she played gully cricket with boys in her neighbourhood.  Once in an interview, her father recalled her childhood and said that she never feared injuries or scars, unlike other girls.

• In 2007, she enrolled at the Eklavya Sports Stadium and started training under senior cricketers like Hemalatha Kala. In the beginning, her father was adamant he was not going to let her play cricket. However, he agreed when Poonam’s coach M K Afghani (deceased) and fellow players Manoj Kushwaha and Hemlata Kala convinced him. In 2010, Manoj Kushwaha started coaching her.

• In the beginning, she used to practise three times a day. Firstly, it was before school, she would warm her body. Then, she went back to the ground at 2 pm after school and train personally for an hour. After resting at the ground for nearly 90 minutes, she joined other children in the nets in the evening batch.

• Although her family came on board with her cricketing career eventually, Poonam faced sexism from society.

• She captained the Uttar Pradesh team that won the Under-19 championship in 2010.

• Around 2009-10, when she was playing for Uttar Pradesh, her performance dipped significantly. She nearly thought of quitting cricket, but her father helped her rebuild her confidence.

• In 2011, she secured a job as a junior clerk in Indian Railways in the Agra division of North Central Railway via sports quota. Later, she became the office superintendent of the railway’s record department.

• According to her, joining Railways was the turning point of her life after which her game improved remarkably.

• In 2019, her team Supernovas won the Women’s T20 Challenge beating Velocity in the final by 4 wickets.
  

  Poonam Yadav, along with other Supernovas’ players, posing with the trophy after winning the 2019 Women’s T20 Challenge

• She picked 3 important wickets during her debut T20I match against Bangladesh, helping India clinch the series 3-0.

• She claimed 2 wickets in 10 overs during the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, giving away just 23 runs and saving India from a loss against Sri Lanka.

• With eight wickets in five matches, Poonam was the joint-leading wicket-taker for India during the 2018 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

• She became India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 Internationals in September 2018 with 57 wickets from 39 T20Is. She surpassed the previous record of veteran cricketer Jhulan Goswami.

• In 2019, she became the first Uttar Pradesh woman cricketer to receive the Arjuna Award. ^[2]The Times of India

• She was named to India’s squad for the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. He came into the spotlight for her impeccable performance during the opening game of the tournament against Australia when she took 4 wickets for 19 runs and bagged the title of Player of the Match.
  

  Poonam Yadav celebrating a wicket during the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the opening game against Australia

  In the following against Bangladesh, she took 3 wickets, contributing to India’s 2nd consecutive victory in the world cup. Although India reached the final, it lost to Australia by 85 runs.

• Thereafter, she was included in ICC Women’s T20 playing XI of the World Cup. It also featured teenage sensation Shafali Verma but as the 12th player.

• She was signed by the franchise team Brisbane Heat for the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) (2021).
  

  Poonam Yadav celebrating a wicket while playing for Brisbane Heat in a match against Sydney Thunder in November 2021

• In 2023, she was bought by the franchise team Delhi Capitals at a base price of Rs 30 lakh for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL).

• She idolizes Shane Warne. MS Dhoni and Neetu David are her favourite cricketers.