The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will pay rich tribute to their first royal and former captain and mentor late Shane Warne when they play against Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL 2022 at the DY Patil Stadium on April 30.
Shane Warne had captained and coached the RR team from 2008-11 and led them to the IPL title in the inaugural year in 2008, when they defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the finals which were played at the DY Patil Stadium on June 1 that year.
The franchise said Warne's brother, Jason will also be part of the celebration as he has accepted an invitation from the Jaipur-based side.
Considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Warne died of a suspected heart attack at the Thai resort of Koh Samui last month. He was 52. He took 708 wickets from 145 Tests, besides 293 ODI wickets from 194 matches between 1992 and 2007.
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"It is befitting that the same stadium where Warne lifted the IPL trophy will see the cricketing world come together to pay their respects and celebrate his life. The franchise would like to iterate that it will not be an occasion to mourn, but to commemorate the great man, and salute him for his never-ending contribution to the game of cricket as well as impacting thousands of lives around the world through his words, energy, and actions both on and off the field,” RR said in a release.
It has been reported that the franchise has the support of BCCI to lead the celebrations. Apart from this, the Rajasthan Royals playing squad will sport special initials 'SW23' on the collars of their official playing kits to pay tribute to the legendary Australian.
A special area at the DY Patil Stadium has also been turned into a Shane Warne Tribute Gallery, which all the ticket-holding fans will be able to visit and experience.
"The Royals have also reached out to the Batch of 2008 and are appreciative of everyone who has sent in their tributes for the greatest leg-spinner of all time. These tributes will be made available on the matchday on Rajasthan Royals' social media,” the release stated.
(PTI inputs)
