IPL team: Rajasthan Royals

[Zakhmi]

wata watson! keep it up ...! marvelous alround display RR! A great comeback from an initial defeat in the tourney. It seems RR will be prevailing through this tourney as a strong contender of the trophy...! I am excited with this victory and believe a big turn-over is taking place with KKR's defeat, today!

[umpire]

KKR sucks. Once McCullum leave they will be doomed.

[zaheer]

Extra pacer in Tanveer helped us win: Warne Sunday, 27 April , 2008, 09:06 Last Updated: Sunday, 27 April , 2008, 10:03 Bangalore: Rajasthan Royals captain-cum-coach Shane Warne on Saturday said the team made up the strategies as per the situation and for each match considering the Bangalore wicket provides extra bounce, played an extra medium pacer in Pakistani left arm bowler Sohail Tanveer and it clicked. ''We use our minds and plan things and not depend on computers. This is working well. Now we have got the momentum and three consecutive wins will take us further. The team is jelling well and the combination of fast and spin is turning out to be our strength,'' Warne said. For Watson, the Bangalroe wicket brought back the memories of bouncy Aussie wickets. ''This is more like an Australian wicket. I liked it. Hope there will be more such wickets in the coming matches,'' he said. The Queenslander, who was adjudged the Man of the Match, for the second match in succession, for his two wickets and unbeaten 61, said Warne was not at all acting like a coach but was leading the team from front. ''Warne is a great boost to the players. More than my knock, it was Greme (Smith), who scored 49, set things up for us. He laid the perfect platform and when I went we needed only run-a-ball and one or two big overs. Everything fell in place very well,'' he said.

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Rajasthan receive Mascarenhas boost Dimitri Mascarenhas, the England and Hampshire allrounder, joined the Rajasthan Royals on Monday, and he will be available for five IPL matches before returning home on May 12. More... England allrounder available for five IPL games Rajasthan receive Mascarenhas boost Cricinfo staff April 30, 2008 Dimitri Mascarenhas' arrival is set to bolster the Rajasthan Royals © Getty Images (file photo) Dimitri Mascarenhas, the England and Hampshire allrounder, joined the Rajasthan Royals on Monday, and he will be available for five IPL matches before returning home on May 12. Mascarenhas' arrival will bolster Rajasthan, who are now second in the IPL standings after three-successive victories, and he hoped that his team would be able to sustain their momentum. "The biggest challenge for the Royals from hereon is to achieve consistent winning results. The team has had an amazing run after the first game and the main objective now is to force our way into the semi-finals and then the final," Mascarenhas told the Hindu. He said that he could return to play for the team, who are set for two back-to-back home matches, after completing his county commitments. "I can also come back for the semi-finals and final should the team get there. But the next two home games will be big for us. It's going to be tough for me to get into the team; it depends on the balance." Mascarenhas was all praise for Shane Warne, his former captain at Hampshire, and the coach-cum-captain of Rajasthan. "I have not seen all the players up close, but Warne definitely has an influence on the team. Speaking to him last night and this morning it's obvious he has worked on the team with full intensity, got the young lads together and working as a unit. He's an inspiring guy and people listen to him." Meanwhile, Mascarenhas, who is the only Englishman to figure in the inaugural IPL after his county gave him permission for a brief stint, said that his compatriots were keen to take part in the tournament. "The England players are desperate to play in the IPL. Next year they will all put their hands up to come and play. Everyone has watched the IPL in England and what an amazing tournament it is. I have watched all the games. The IPL is big time news in the England newspapers." Mascarenhas has signed a three-year contract with Rajasthan for an annual fee of US$100,000 and his IPL debut could come tomorrow, when the home side take on the Kolkata Knight Riders.

[swami1984]

Royals!! I think this has been stated before, but you've got to love the Royals team, which has a lot of players who were considered discards (Watson for Aus, Kaif, Salunke was never considered for Mumbai, Munaf etc)...and young promising players and they've really done well so far! Today, neither Smith nor Watson did anything significant and it was unknowns like Asnolkar who stood up and took responsibility -- good for them!! :two_thumbs_up:

[zaheer]

Dimitri Mascarenhas: Postcard from the Indian Premier League Last updated at 21:08pm on 2nd May 2008 Dear all, I have seen the future and the future works! The Indian Premier League is amazing, manic and full on. Such is the atmosphere and interest here that it's like playing international cricket and I can honestly say that every player I've spoken to since arriving last weekend is loving it. I'm sure I won't be the only English player taking part next year. The games are attracting big crowds, scores in excess of 200 have been common and you can't hear yourself talk in the build-up to a match, such is the noise in the grounds. I'm playing for Rajasthan Royals and I'm delighted to say we're joint top, having won four of our first five games. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play in my first match here but I was able to watch closely as our captain Shane Warne led us to victory over Kolkata on Thursday. Only four overseas players can feature in a game and Shane wanted to play an extra fast bowler, Sohail Tanvir, ahead of me which I had to accept. I'm not sure we'll change a winning team so I may miss out when we play Chennai, the other joint league leaders, in Jaipur tomorrow. All I can do at the moment is wait for my chance. Shane is desperate to win this competition and he is on fire at the moment. It's great to be in his team again and his captaincy is as inventive and imaginative as ever. Jeremy Snape is here too, working in our management team. He is one of the guys who comes up with our game plans and makes sure we stick to them. Other than Shane, Jeremy and Shane Watson, I didn't know any of my other new team-mates but, like all the teams here, ours is a very talented and cosmopolitan bunch. It is pleasing to all involved that quite a few of the young Indian players who feature in each team are doing well and scoring their share of the runs. The cricket is intense and there was an incident on Thursday that left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths. Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain who plays for us, took what he was sure was a clean catch to dismiss Sourav Ganguly but the batsman wouldn't accept his word for it and persuaded the umpire to call for the third umpire. Replays were inconclusive and Ganguly was given not out. We were disappointed with his attitude but I'm happy to say he was out soon after. This is my first visit to India but on my four-hour drive from the airport in Delhi to our team hotel in Jaipur I was able to have a bit of a look at the country and it reminds me very much of Sri Lanka. Now all I need is to get the nod from Shane, to play and hear news from home that Hampshire are doing well in my absence. Then all will be good. Yours, Dimitri Mascarenhas http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/cricket.html?in_article_id=563631&in_page_id=1849

[zaheer]

Jaipur have right men for the right job The best laid out plans are the ones that usually go awry first. So when Team Jaipur declared that they had a few to tackle Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one couldn’t help but look at the pinch of salt hungrily. The trap had, however, been put in motion well before the match began on a hot Sunday evening. To begin with, the hosts spread the word that the Sawai Man Singh was a good batting track; then, there were enough hints to indicate that it would eventually take turn too. Chennai, gullible as formidable units usually are, fell for the trick: they realized what they had walked into only when their top order got blown away. By the time Dhoni stepped out to bat, he was smarting with doubts. Shane Warne promptly took charge of the ball. It was barely the eighth over of the innings, probably the earliest he has bowled in the IPL so far. Graeme Smith, without even bothering to look at his captain, went over to first slip. Mid off went back, mid-wicket went deeper, cover moved wider and gully went squarer. Warne tossed his leg-break up. The ball pitched perfectly outside leg-stump, fizzed through the air and ripped past his probing willow. Next ball was a straighter one; Dhoni warded it off without any problem. The third one was again outside the leg, just that it was a little flatter. Dhoni lunged at it once again and could only manage a thin edge. Smith gleefully accepted the dolly and Team Jaipur celebrated in the middle, jumping like a bunch of little boys who had got lucky on their first date. The plan had worked, almost as they had conceived it. So what weakness did Warne and his coach Darren Berry see in Dhoni’s formidable arsenal? Was it just a fluke or is it something that can be exploited by others as well? The most valuable player in the IPL, of course, doesn’t have the perfect technique. Like most Indian batsmen, his first movement is forward; but unlike most others, the bat doesn’t follow immediately. It comes down from a great height, yes, but it is more like a whiplash. More often than not, his defensive stroke is also played ahead of the pad instead of beside it. Dhoni, of course, uses this peculiar trait quite fruitfully. His hoick-down-the-wicket, even off perfect yorkers, is a unique shot that very few can even dream of playing. He uses the same power, derived from the upper portion of his body, to brutally cut, pull or drive. He has, to be fair, overcome all his inadequacies through sheer confidence and his willingness to keep learning. This time he failed but, as Berry himself said, all the plans don’t always work. By next time, he would have come up with his own solution to counter Warne. But who is going to stop Jaipur? Are they really the underdogs, as they were made out to be? Their recent results clearly show they can’t be taken lightly anymore. A closer analysis, however, underlines why exactly they are on such a roll. Jaipur’s four foreign players are easily the most influential in the league today: an attacking opening bat, a hustling all-rounder, a world class opener and a deceptively quick bowler. Basically, they have a man for every season, every contingency. Add a mixture of young and enthusiastic boys to some experienced players and they become a potent combination. Team spirit was being seen as their hallmark till now; but it is just an overhyped concept. The fact is they have the right man for the right job at every place. And the process starts for them right at the beginning: at the planning stage. Source : TOI

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Warne considers changes to his side May accommodate Mascarenhas for the game against Deccan Chargers More... Warne considers changes to his side G. Viswanath May accommodate Mascarenhas for the game against Deccan Chargers — Photo: Sandeep Saxena HITTING BACK: Deccan Chargers’ Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Gilchrist slugging it out at a training session on the eve of the match against Rajasthan Royals. Jaipur: On Friday, the DLF-IPL may just see the participation of its first ever player from England. Handpicked by Rajasthan Royals at the instance of its captain and coach Shane Warne at the second auction, Hampshire’s Dimitri Mascarenhas has so far been a mere spectator of the success of the team. Warne has kept him occupied in the nets with bat and ball and in brain storming sessions since the 30-year-old all-rounder arrived here ten days ago. Mascarenhas has built a reputation around explosive batting and handy efforts with the ball. Two years ago, Warne had expressed surprise at the fact that England had never, until then, given him a chance in the one-day side — his captain at Hampshire considers him the best ‘finisher’ with the bat in England regards his bowling pretty useful too. Last summer, Mascarenhas had clobbered Yuvraj Singh for five sixes in an over, emphasising his ability with the bat. Exploring possibilities Warne may somehow find a place for his Hampshire team-mate against Deccan Chargers on Friday. Faced with the limit of four overseas players in an IPL side, Warne has the option of sacrificing Graeme Smith, Shane Watson or Sohail Tanvir, all key players. It is hard to imagine Warne sitting the match out himself, especially after being beaten hollow by Mumbai Indians on Wednesday at the D.Y. Patil Stadium. He may also consider changing the man behind the stumps; Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal would be an option in this area. With the Royals scheduled to play three matches in less than a week’s time, Warne would perhaps consider employing key players in a staggered manner. Royals returned home empty-handed from Mumbai on Friday afternoon, unlike in the previous visits to Hyderabad and Bangalore where it had picked up four valuable points, and thereafter outsmarted three opponents at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at home. Royals is sitting pretty with ten points, but given the fluctuating fortunes of the teams in competition, it has to clinch two more matches at least, and quickly too, to ensure progress to the semifinals. After the Royals beat Chennai Super Kings last week here, thanks to Sohail’s superb performance with the ball, Warne said the week starting Friday would be big in terms of the points it can garner. Flattened by Mumbai Indians, Warne will have to come up with fresh ideas in order to get the better of a rival, which had scored a morale-boosting victory over Chennai Super Kings. Warne will be also up against fellow Australian Adam Gilchrist who has been instrumental in Chargers’ two wins against the Mumbai and Chennai teams. Will Laxman play? Owing to a hand injury, V.V.S. Laxman had handed over charge to Gilchrist at Chennai, and the Hyderabadi has delayed taking a call on his participation. “I will have a hit today and before the start of the match tomorrow.” “There is plenty of scope in the competition to throw surprising results. Rajasthan Royals is a good team and it will come hard at us tomorrow after the defeat against Mumbai Indians. Each and every player in the team should take responsibility in order to achieve a positive result,” said Laxman. Asked to comment on reactions from the owners of the teams, Laxman said: “It’s good they are following the performance of teams on a daily basis. Deccan Chronicle has been very good; it has been (supportive of) the team.” Deccan Chargers was lucky to have sufficient time for a light work out and a net session at the RCA’s Future Cricket Academy. It was overcast throughout the day. The shower in the evening before the team arrived at the venue was not heavy enough to disappoint Laxman’s team. The teams (from): Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (captain), Graeme Smith, Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir, Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Mohd. Kaif, Niraj Patel, Mahesh Rawat, Munaf Patel, Pankaj Singh, Dinesh Salunkhe, Siddharth Trivedi, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Taruvar Kolhi, Kamran Akmal. Deccan Chargers: V.V.S. Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Scott Styris, Rohit Sharma, Shahid Afridi, Sanjay Bangar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Arjun Yadav, D. Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Zoysa, D. Ravi Teja, S. Kumar, Venugopala Rado, P. Vijaykumar.

[kooljatt]

Reasons for best team The best IPL team, and the most effective hitter A look at the teams' batting and bowling performances, and the singles and boundary percentages for batsmen S Rajesh May 16, 2008 A low dot-ball percentage of only 33 hasn't done much for Kallis' or Bangalore's cause in the IPL © AFP The best batting side Thanks mainly to the early exploits of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, Chennai Super Kings have the best batting numbers in the tournament so far, with an average of more than 31 and a run-rate of nearly 8.50 runs per over. They started off spectacularly, scoring more than 200 in each of their first two games, but since then their performance has fallen off somewhat, though S Badrinath, S Vidyut, Stephen Fleming and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, their captain, have all done their bit with handy displays. Chennai have also managed a fair number of boundaries, and are one of four teams who have scored more than 60% of their total runs in fours and sixes. The numbers for Delhi Daredevils are interesting too - they haven't relied as much on boundaries as Chennai have, but they've also ensured that dot balls are kept to a minimum, allowing less than 37% of all deliveries to go un-scored off, easily the lowest among all teams. The numbers for the two teams at the bottom of the table tell a story as well - Deccan Chargers have the highest percentage of runs in boundaries, but they have a fairly high dot-ball factor as well. The stats for Bangalore Royal Challengers clearly proves their lack of batting firepower. (What was that again about this being a Test team?) They are the only team to score less than 55% of their runs in boundaries, and they haven't made up for that with a low dot-ball percentage either. Batting teams in the IPL Team Runs/ wkts Runs per wkt Runs per over % runs in 4s & 6s Dot-ball % Chennai Super Kings 1725/ 55 31.36 8.45 60.41 41.39 Kings XI Punjab 1496/ 51 29.33 8.38 59.63 39.87 Delhi Daredevils 1377/ 49 28.10 8.16 55.19 36.76 Mumbai Indians 1199/ 44 27.25 7.67 61.22 48.45 Rajasthan Royals 1361/ 50 27.22 8.05 60.40 43.89 Deccan Chargers 1407/ 55 25.58 8.04 63.11 43.57 Kolkata Knight Riders 1404/ 58 24.21 7.75 55.70 43.79 Bangalore Royal Challengers 1278/ 68 18.79 7.31 54.62 41.94 Rajasthan and Kolkata have been the two best bowling sides, and both have been excellent at taking wickets, which has also ensured that their economy-rates are the lowest among all teams. Shane Warne's team didn't look like a great bowling side on paper, but Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir and Warne himself have been outstanding, while the local players, especially Siddharth Trivedi, have backed them up superbly as well. Kolkata were served well by Ashok Dinda and Ishant Sharma before Shoaib Akhtar made his presence felt so forcefully against Delhi. Both Rajasthan and Kolkata have the highest dot-ball percentages, which has in turn forced batsmen to take greater risks and in the process concede more wickets. Bangalore's batting has borne the brunt of criticism, and quite justifiably as well, but their bowlers have failed to show much spark either. Zaheer Khan has been the exception, with 13 wickets in nine games, but the rest have disappointed: Dale Steyn has only managed four wickets in six games, each costing him more than 41 runs. Not surprisingly, Bangalore have the poorest bowling average, and only Chennai have a worse economy-rate. Bowling teams in the IPL Team Runs/ wkts Runs per wkt Runs per over % runs in 4s & 6s Dot-ball % Rajasthan Royals 1307/ 60 21.78 7.46 57.23 45.29 Kolkata Knight Riders 1271/ 58 21.91 7.46 56.18 46.63 Mumbai Indians 1240/ 54 22.96 8.08 59.84 41.63 Kings XI Punjab 1465/ 62 23.62 7.89 58.57 43.08 Delhi Daredevils 1425/ 60 23.75 7.71 57.26 42.24 Chennai Super Kings 1659/ 52 31.90 8.57 59.19 39.19 Deccan Chargers 1433/ 44 32.56 8.26 59.87 41.06 Bangalore Royal Challengers 1447/ 60 36.18 8.45 62.20 40.12 Dots and boundaries The list below, of batsmen who have played the lowest percentage of dot balls, has plenty of unexpected names. Michael Hussey is hardly a surprise, while Gautam Gambhir's outstanding ability to find the gaps and run singles even during the Powerplays puts him high on the table, but many of the other names aren't the usual suspects. Bangalore have three in the list, but more crucially, all of them have poor run-rates despite low dot-ball percentages, which again indicates the lack of boundary-hitting ability. The other seven players in the top ten all have strike-rates of more than 8.50 per over, but Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid have much poorer rates. This also suggests that low dot-ball percentage by itself isn't enough in a format that demands a regular injection of boundaries. Batsmen with lowest dot-ball percentages (Qual: at least 100 balls) Batsman Balls faced Dot balls Dot % Average Runs per over Michael Hussey 100 31 31.00 84.00 10.08 Gautam Gambhir 248 78 31.45 43.25 9.39 Suresh Raina 144 46 31.94 29.00 8.46 Kumar Sangakkara 124 40 32.26 33.83 9.82 Jacques Kallis 103 34 33.01 16.85 6.87 Yuvraj Singh 113 38 33.63 24.57 9.13 Virender Sehwag 163 58 35.58 41.00 10.56 Mark Boucher 147 53 36.05 38.00 7.75 Rohit Sharma 202 73 36.14 42.28 8.79 Rahul Dravid 175 65 37.14 22.00 6.79 The list below, though, consists of far more explosive batsmen. Sanath Jayasuriya's blistering century against Chennai ensures he tops the table - he has scored a stunning 83% of his total runs in the IPL in fours and sixes. Michael Hussey, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh are the only ones to make both the lists, while Rohit Sharma just misses out - he is in 11th place with 65.54% of his runs in boundaries. Batsmen with highest percentage of runs in boundaries (Qual: at least 100 balls) Batsman Runs scored 4s/ 6s Boundary % Average Runs per over Sanath Jayasuriya 252 30/ 15 83.33 36.00 10.14 Adam Gilchrist 308 36/ 16 77.92 38.50 8.97 Yusuf Pathan 239 28/ 11 74.48 29.87 10.17 Virender Sehwag 287 32/ 14 73.87 41.00 10.56 Andrew Symonds 161 15/ 9 70.81 80.50 9.20 Matthew Hayden 189 24/ 6 69.84 94.50 8.65 Subramaniam Badrinath 184 20/ 8 69.57 46.00 8.94 Shane Watson 287 28/ 14 68.29 71.75 9.46 Michael Hussey 168 12/ 11 67.86 84.00 10.08 Yuvraj Singh 172 15/ 9 66.28 24.57 9.13 All stats till the 36th match of the IPL, between Mumbai and Chennai at the Wankhede Stadium. http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/351151.html

[Sachinism]

Dravid up there for least dot balls :yay: lol

[Zakhmi]

tfs, the stats.

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South African Tyron Henderson stunned by his $650,000 IPL sale South Africa's Tyron Henderson attracts bid four times higher than his own valuation from the Rajasthan Royals. More... South African Tyron Henderson stunned by his $650,000 IPL sale When you are Shane Warne's number one choice and attract a bid four times higher than your own valuation, then you have a lot to live up to. By Nick Hoult in Goa Last Updated: 4:42PM GMT 06 Feb 2009 In demand: Tyron Henderson, the 'Blacksmith', could not believe it when the Rajasthan Royals secured his services for $650,000 Photo: AFP/Gett Images For Tyron Henderson that is what awaits after the IPL auction in Goa vindicated his decision not to retire at the end of last season to run a bar in his native South Africa. Instead the Rajasthan Royals have paid $650,000 (£445,200) for him. "I was watching it on the internet and couldn't believe it as the price kept going up," Henderson said from his home in South Africa. "It is a total surprise as I thought I might be lucky to get a $150,000 deal. I think Shaun Udal at Middlesex might have put a word in for me with Warney. I owe him a beer." Rajasthan, the winners of the inaugural IPL, have built their team on stats rather than reputation and Henderson's record speaks for itself. Known as "the Blacksmith" he has by his own admission one tactic at the crease – "If it's there I hit it," he said. His muscular presence at the crease brought match-winning innings for Middlesex in the semi-final and final of last year Twenty20 Cup. His bowling isn't bad either. He is the highest ever wicket-taker in Twenty20 cricket with 74 wickets in 62 matches at an average of 21. Such a record sparked the interest of the Deccan Chargers, whose bids inflated Henderson's salary beyond the $475,000 Rajasthan paid last year for Warne and Graeme Smith, two of the world's great players.

[Sachinism]

Raj Royals rope in Quiney; name Tanvir, Akmal replacements Indian Premier League champions Rajasthan Royals on Saturday included explosive Australian batsman Rob Quiney in their squad for the second season and also named two other Australians as replacements for Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal. Victorian Quiney was yesterday named in Australia's 12-man Twenty20 squad to take on New Zealand on Saturday. Quiney's Victorian team-mate fast bowler Shane Harwood and Queensland all-rounder Lee Carseldine will replace Tanvir and Akmal, Rajasthan Royals Director of Coaching Darren Berry said. "It feels good to have specialists like Quiney, Harwood and Carseldine in our squad this year. Surely we will miss Sohail and Akmal, but having these players in the team is a boon to the squad. Their presence will definitely add more spice and excitement to the matches in which they will be playing," Berry said. Left-hander Quiney has been a consistent performer at the top of the order in Twenty20 cricket in Australia this year and made 91 in 57 balls for Victoria against New South Wales in the KFC Big Bash final recently. Right-arm pacer Harwood, nicknamed 'Stickers', has been in the Australian domestic circuit and his match-winning 4-33 against South Australia took Victoria into the Pura Cup finals. Carseldine, a useful batsman and left-arm medium pacer, was the player of the Twenty20 Series in Australia.

[Don Sharma]

If Smith is not available for the Royals I guess they are in deep trouble. He brings that X-factor to the team.

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More Australians for Rajasthan Royals More... More Australians for Rajasthan Royals Mumbai: Rajasthan Royals, winner of the inaugural DLF-IPL, has signed in Australia’s Shane Harwood and Lee Carseldine (replacement for Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal) and Rob Quiney, for the six-week long IPL season two that starts on April 10. Darren Berry, Director (Coaching), Rajasthan Royals, made the announcement here on Saturday. “It feels good to have specialists like Quiney (left-handed batsman from Victoria), Harwood (right-arm fast bowler also from Victoria) and Carseldine (all-rounder/ left-hand medium-pacer from Queensland) in our squad. “We will miss Sohail and Akmal, but having these players in the team is a boon. Their presence will add spice and excitement in the matches they would be playing” he said.

[rkt.india]

Rajasthan Royals sign unknown pace bowler The Rajasthan Royals have picked a young fast bowler, Kamran Khan, out of obscurity for the second season of the IPL. Not much is known about him except that he impressed Darren Berry, Rajasthan's director of coaching, during a recent Twenty20 tournament in Mumbai. Kamran, 18, a left-arm fast bowler, has never played first-class cricket. Primarily a tennis-ball bowler, he now finds himself with a Rs 12 lakh (approximately $24,000) contract with Rajasthan. "I can't express how happy I am. I knew I would play for a big team one day, but I never thought it would come so early," Kamran, 18, told Mid-day, the Mumbai-based tabloid. His coach, Naushan Khan, told Cricinfo that his ward, who joined him five years ago, was a complete novice when he came to Mumbai from his hometown, Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. "He was very raw when he first met me, and most of his experience was, and remains, with a tennis ball," said Naushan. "We have worked on his action and tried to develop him into a proper pace bowler. Kamran's work will hopefully start to yield results. I don't think it has really hit Kamran yet that he will be in the same squad as so many big players. "We entered him into the Mumbai Police squad for a Twenty20 tournament at the DY Patil Stadium recently, and he impressed plenty there. Darren Berry happened to be there and he was impressed with Kamran." Kamran took seven wickets in three matches in the Twenty20 tournament. This is not the first time the Rajasthan management has unearthed a player and sent everyone scurrying to find out his antecedents. Before the inaugural IPL they signed up the greenhorn Dinesh Salunkhe, who came into the spotlight through a TV talent-hunt show but had yet to play a first-class match.

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Rajasthan Royals swoop for Kamaran Kamaran who hasn’t made his Ranji Trophy debut, was noticed by Royals assistant coach, Darren Barry, during a selection trial last week. More... Rajasthan swoop for Kamaran By Ronald Chettiar Posted On Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 02:17:57 AM Mohammed Kamaran Khan isn’t a name that many in the cricketing world identify with. But come April 10, the left-arm paceman hopes to change all that in a jiffy. The 18-year-old was signed by Indian Premier League champions, Rajasthan Royals, for one year. The contract is worth Rs 12 lakhs. Kamaran who hasn’t made his Ranji Trophy debut, was noticed by Royals assistant coach, Darren Barry, during a selection trial last week. For this youngster, who hails from from Azamghar in Uttar Pradesh, it was his love for the game that brought him to Mumbai, after he lost his parents couple of years ago. Since than, his dream of playing for India, is what has kept him going. Now, with the Rajasthan team signing him, he is seeing it has a god-given opportunity to pursue his dream. “It nothing less than god’s blessing for me,” said Kamaran, summing up his feeling. “I have been living my life for this game and this comes as a perfect platform for me to show my talent.” For this youngest of seven siblings, it has not been an easy path when it came to pursuing his dream. “I always believed that I had the talent, but no one was ready to guide me. At times, I had to literally plead with coaches to let me play in their team,” said Kamaran, as he gets ready to impress Shane Warne to cement his place in the team. The journey for this young talent may have just begun, but he is aware that it will not be a walk in the park in this competitive sport. “My life has been a struggle up till now, but I have always made it through. T20 will not be an easy format for me to start with. But I believe like always, I will come out with flying colours from this test also,” said Kamaran.

[Dirty_South]

Best of Luck and a very lucky chap to have Warnie as his mentor.

[cowboysfan]

why are the royals the only team to sign these unknown players?.i wish mallya would hire somebody like berry to scout for local talent but i doubt he can see past the big names.

[flamy]

Aren't both the teams owned by Mallya? I dont get it... :dontknow: