Daredevils signs up Negi, Juneja and Raval

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s teenaged left-handed allrounder Pawan Negi and exciting batsmen Manprit Juneja (Gujarat) and Kuldeep Chandrakant Raval (Saurashtra) will join Delhi Daredevils in the coming Indian Premier League season, the team’s Mentor TA Sekar said here today.

“We are delighted to have signed up talented cricketers we spotted on the domestic circuit this season,” Sekar said. “Together with picking up Kevin Pietersen this season, we have been taking the steps necessary for us to become a competitive squad again. We are confident that we will have the right mix of players to choose from for all our games this season.”

Delhi Daredevils also announced buying out former India allrounder S Sriram, 27-year-old all-rounder from South Africa Robert Frylinck, leg-spinner Vivek Yadav and left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar’s contracts. Sriram, 35, played one game while the other three did not figure out in any of the matches for Delhi Daredevils last season. Earlier, all-rounder Andrew McDonald was traded with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“We were tracking 21-year-old Manprit Juneja from before he scored 201 on first class debut against Tamil Nadu. We are confident he will make his presence felt in the Delhi Daredevils squad and push real hard for a place in the middle-order this season,” Sekar said of the youngster who hit a good half-century against Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 game in Rajkot.

The Delhi Daredevils Mentor said Negi’s ability to be nagging with the ball and an effective middle-order bat made the 18-year-old Negi exciting talent. “He can be an effective left-handed allrounder,” Sekar said. “He caught our eye when taking six wickets for Delhi in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament at Lahli in Rohtak.”

The left-handed Raval slammed two half-centuries for Saurashtra in the West Zone league games Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Rajkot. “He fits into the team’s scheme of things well since he has the game and the temperament to be an impact player in the middle-order,” Sekar said of the 26-year-old Muli born cricketer.