Gautam will add a lot of firepower to Delhi’s batting department

The Delhi Daredevils have signed Karnataka wicketkeeper-batsman C Muralidharen Gautam to a one-year deal after his outstanding performances with the bat in the domestic season.

Gautam had been part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the previous four editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but was released in November last year.

Gautam has flourished in this year’s Ranji Trophy season, scoring two double hundreds and a century as he finished third on the scorers list with 943 runs at an incredible average of 117.87.

The Karnataka wicketkeeper-batsman has also enjoyed a lot of success at the first-class level, scoring 2528 runs at an outstanding average of 51.59. Besides Gautam, the Daredevils have already signed two other wicketkeepers, Naman Ojha and Puneet Bisht.

The 2013 IPL season gets underway on April 3.