Kerala batsman makes it to IPL

Thiruvananthapuram:

Kerala Ranji team's hard-hitting batsman Raiphi Vincent Gomez has been signed by Rajasthan Royals for the coming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

With this, Raiphi, who belongs to the city, becomes the second player from Kerala after S Sreesanth to be awarded contract by an IPL team.

"I am lucky to get a great break in my career. It is an opportunity to play along with a bunch of international players which will help me a lot," he said.

Asked whether his next target would be the Indian team, he said it was every player's dream to play for the country. "But I would like to go step by step. I want to score maximum runs in the IPL," he said.

Raiphi, 24, who plays for the SBT, said his knock of 90 off 57 balls in a recent Twenty20 match against ONGC had caught the attention of selectors.

Raiphi said he was indebted to Sreesanth for recommending his name to the management of Rajasthan Royals team led by Shane Warne.

He also thanked SAI coach Biju George who is training him at the Kerala Sports Council training centre here, saying the coach was the real motivator behind his achievement.

Raiphi is the third player from Kerala making it to the big league at the national level after Tinu Yohannan and S Sreesanth. Raiphi is also a useful medium pace bowler. Yohannan had played a few test matches.

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