Founded in 2008, the franchise Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League under the leadership of Australian leg spinner Shane Warne. Besides the late Aussie legend Shane, the team also had outstanding players like Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, and Mohammad Kaif in the past. The 52-year-old Hall of Fame cricketer died from a heart attack this year in March unexpectedly.
Previously, Shane Warne was assigned as an ambassador for the Rajasthan team as well as their mentor. Before he retired from the game in 2011 he played about 55 matches within a brief period. After qualifying for the IPL playoffs 2022 the highest wicket-taker, the current purple cap holder Yuzvendra Chahal said in an interview, “Warne sir played for RR and was the first-ever Royal, and I think his blessings are with me. I feel like he’s been watching me from above.” The Royals team also paid Warne a heartwarming tribute by retiring the jersey number 23.
“I’m really hoping Rajasthan can go all the way in the memory of Shane Warne. It feels like there should be a special energy in that franchise at the moment,” England’s ex-cricketer Kevin Pietersen said in his column on Betway.
This year the team is on fire as they successfully paved their way into the TATA IPL playoffs with 18 points from 9 wins, having a net run rate of +0.298. The squad confronted Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier match on the pitch of Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Tuesday, May 24. The batting promising pitch favored both the teams, where RR scored a total of 188/6 in 20 overs.
The run machine of this year’s IPL Jos Buttler scored a knock of 89(56) followed by skipper Sanju’s 47(26). However, it seems 188 wasn’t enough to secure a victory. Gujarat chased the run within 19.3 overs with Miller’s 68*(38) and Hardik’s crucial 40(27). But for Rajasthan hope is still left. The loser from the next playoff match will be facing Rajasthan to compete to make their place in the finals of the TATA IPL 2022. If we investigate Sanju Samson’s brigade we have a powerful batting lineup followed by a balanced bowling attack.
The highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker are currently both in Sanju’s team. Besides Chahal, the team possesses R Ashwin, Trent Boult, and Prasidh Krishna in their bowling squad. Ashwin is the second-highest wicket-taker from Rajasthan with an economy rate of 7.33 while picking 11 wickets in 15 matches. In the batting queues, Rajasthan becomes advantageous with Jos Buttler,
Devdutt Padikkal, and the skipper himself. With an exceptional crew like this, it wouldn’t be excessively challenging for Rajasthan to overcome whoever endures the eliminator match and from that point, the road to the trophy will only be a victory away.
