Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals on Sunday made a major announcement for the 12th edition of the cash-rich event. The inaugural IPL champions will now sport pink jersey instead of their trademark deep blue jersey.

The decision to go ‘PINK’ comes as a tribute to the Rajasthan’s capital – Jaipur- which is also known as the ‘Pink City’.

In a press release, the franchise explained the reason behind this move and said: “Jaipur is known as the pink city, Jodhpur is famous for pink sandstone and Udaipur produces pink marble. Pink, therefore, is best suited as the official colour of Rajasthan Royals, which will also help the fans identify and celebrate their team.”

“In all, the new look expresses Royals as a team that is reinventing itself taking into consideration the commitment of their fans. However, at the same time, the new look has been adopted keeping in mind the innovation and quality care to improve team’s performance,” the statement further added.

Besides, Rajasthan Royals also announced its former skipper Shane Warne as the brand ambassador of the team. Under the captaincy of Warne, RR had won the title back in 2008.

“I’m very happy to be back with the Royals and I’m grateful to the team and the fans for their constant support. It was important for us to retain our established values but at the same time develop a new and modern identity. I am already in love with the new look of the team and hope the fans will love it too,” Warne stated.

The principal owner of Rajasthan Royals, Manoj Badale, said that the entire team is happy with pink being their official colour for the upcoming season as they try to build the brand into a fan-driven team.

“We feel that the time is right for us as a brand to invest further into our marketing strategy and create an even stronger brand presence both on and off field, hence having our First Royal Shane Warne to lead from the front as a Royal Brand Ambassador was important. We welcome him back once again and hope for an exciting IPL season ahead,” Badale said.

(With inputs from The Indian Express)