Rajasthan Royals on Saturday paid tribute to their late former captain Shane Warne, who died last month aged 52. Warne, considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time, had led RR to the title in the first edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 and remained connected with the franchise even after ending his playing career.
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Saturday marked the 14th anniversary of RR's title triumph and it was held at the DY Patil Stadium, which is also the venue where they made the tribute on Saturday ahead of their IPL 2022 match against the Mumbai Indians. The two sets of players stood in a line adjacent to each other and broke into a one-minute applause with the rest of the stadium.
"As part of our tribute to Warnie, our players will be sporting specially designed match kits when they take the field against Mumbai Indians on Saturday, with his initials ‘SW23’ featuring on the lead collar of their jersey. Our coaches and members of the support staff will be seen wearing special jerseys with ‘Warne 23’ written on the backside," RR had said in a statement before the match.
"It is our ode to his illustrious career that contributed massively to the game, his undying passion that inspired generations of cricketers, his fighting spirit that taught us never to give up, and his charismatic personality that made him an instant fan favourite," they further said.
{{/usCountry}}"It is our ode to his illustrious career that contributed massively to the game, his undying passion that inspired generations of cricketers, his fighting spirit that taught us never to give up, and his charismatic personality that made him an instant fan favourite," they further said.
{{/usCountry}}“A special Shane Warne mural will greet fans and spectators as they enter the stadium premises on the matchday. There’s also a tribute gallery inside, where ticket-holders will be able to take a walk through the life of the greatest leg-spinner in the world through unseen pictures and videos.”