Royals sign Ranji pacer Chahar and opener Aakash Chopra

Mumbai, Jan 12 (PTI) Already having cricketing legendslike Rahul Dravid and Shane Warne in their ranks, RajasthanRoyals have now signed talented swing bowler Deepak Chahar andformer India opener Aakash Chopra for the next two editions ofthe IPL.

The Royals, winners of the cash-rich T20 League in itsinaugural season in 2008, have also signed up two otherRajasthan Ranji players -- former India under-19 captainAshok Meneria and Dishant Yagnik, a media release said today.

The Jaipur franchise have already successfully bid forlanky pacer Pankaj Singh, one of the architects of Rajasthan''sentry into the ongoing Ranji Trophy final against Baroda atVadodara and their leading wicket-taker in the championship.

Royals CEO Sean Morris expressed his happiness atsignings the players and said it marked the franchise''scommitment towards Rajasthan cricket.

"We are delighted to announce the signings of theRajasthan players. It underlines our commitment to cricket inthe state of Rajasthan and we will continue to work closelywith the local Cricket Associations who have done such a finejob of developing these players.

"We see huge opportunity for our local players to furtherimprove their skills through joining the IPL team full ofinternational stars who will only add to their cricketingexperience," he added.

Rajasthan Cricket Association President and UnionMinister C P Joshi and its secretary Sanjay Dixit alsowelcomed the signings of the Rajasthan Ranji team members.

(More) PTI SSR DK CM

"We appreciate the initiative taken by the Rajasthan Royals towards including five Rajasthani players in their IPLsquad. RCA and Rajasthan Royals are committed to developmentof cricket in Rajasthan from grassroots level and will workjointly towards talent development," Joshi said.

"We are very happy that the local talent in Rajasthanhas been recognised by the Royals and we eagerly look forwardto their representation for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL,"Dixit said.

"We hope that each of these players grabs thisopportunity and, under the guidance of legends like ShaneWarne and Rahul Dravid, these boys will make a mark forthemselves and Rajasthan at the international level," the RCAsecretary added.