IPL: Railways' 'keeper Rawat joins Pune Warriors

Railways wicketkeeper-batsman Mahesh Rawat on Monday signed in favour of Sahara Pune Warriors for the upcoming fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.

Rawat, who has played for Rajasthan Royals during the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 league, did not find any takers for the past three seasons.

But this year, he has consistently performed in the Ranji Trophy where he made useful contributions in the middle-order.

The deal was clinched once Rawat set a national record during the Central Zone leg of the National ODI championship where he took seven catches for Railways against Madhya Pradesh in Nagpur last month.

"I am very excited to be back in the IPL fold. I would definitely give my 100 percent and play my natural game in order to get a chance in the playing eleven," said Rawat.

Rawat had once played for India 'A' alongside Praveen Kumar and Mohammad Kaif. He was in national reckoning for the second wicketkeeper's slot in 2006-07 when he had a fantastic domestic season for his home state Haryana.