Deccan Chargers sign five domestic players

Deccan Chargers have added five domestic players - Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Tekkami Atchuta Rao Syed Quadri, Veer Pratap Singh and Sneha Kishore - to their squad for the 2012 IPL.

Middle-order batsman Jhunjhunwala, 29, who has played for the Pune Warriors and Rajasthan Royals in past seasons, and medium pacer Veer both play for Bengal. The 19-year-old Pratap made his first-class debut in December 2011, taking 2 for 66 in the first innings against Delhi.

Quadri, 30, was Hyderabad's second leading scorer in the Ranji Trophy this season, with 390 runs at an average of 65. He was part of the Royals squad in 2010. Allrounder Atchuta Rao, 25, had an impressive Ranji season for Andhra, leading his side with 19 wickets at an average of 17.84.

His domestic team-mate, the 18-year-old Kishore, made his List A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last month. According to a statement from the Chargers, Kishore was "hand-picked" by former India left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju, who tested a total of six left-arm spinners from around the country.

"Our focus is primarily to discover and groom young talent from the domestic circuit," Venkat Reddy, the chief operating officer of the Chargers, said. "These players will provide more depth and variety to the Deccan Chargers squad."