Continuing to bank on youngsters, Rajasthan Royals have finalised nine more domestic cricketers out

Continuing to bank on youngsters, Rajasthan Royals have finalised nine more domestic cricketers out of which three are from Mumbai for the second season of the Indian Premier League.

In all, the IPL defending champions have six Mumbai players Akshay Girap (Railways), Moondeep Mangela (Maharashtra) and former Mumbai Indians' all-rounder Siddharth Chitnis joining Dinesh Salunkhe, Shrideep Mangela and Anup Revankar.



"We don't care where the player is from. We only want good talent. These guys have been playing good cricket and so we have signed them," Rajasthan Royals chairman and joint owner Manoj Badale told MiD DAY on the sidelines of the announcement of London-based entrepreneur Raj Kundra and his partner actress Shilpa Shetty buying a 12 per cent stake in the team yesterday.

"Mumbai is obviously the hub of Indian cricket. It has rich tradition and history. There is a lot of good talent here. We will always promote youngsters," added Badale.

However, the Royals have no specific plans for the February 6 player auction to be held in Goa. "We are not aiming for any specific player. We are keen to get the right balance for the team and have worked out a clear budget for it," said Badale.

Badale felt Pakistan's decision to bar players from participating in the IPL was a mistake. "They (terrorists) have got what they wanted. We will miss the services of Sohail Tanvir. It's a huge disappointment," he said.