Rajasthan Royals' 2008 IPL winning team: Where are they now?

Rajasthan Royals (RR) were underdogs in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) edition in 2008, but under former Australia spin wizard Shane Warne, the Men in Pink put up an exceptional show and became the first IPL champions. In the final, they registered a three-wicket win over the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the DY Patil Stadium and lifted the trophy. 

It’s been 16 years, the Royals haven’t added any trophies to their cabinet. This IPL season, they will look to play an aggressive brand of cricket under Sanju Samson and quench their thirst for the coveted trophy. Ahead of the 17th instalment of the cash-rich league, let’s know what the first IPL champions are doing currently.

Read below to know what the first IPL champions are doing nowadays

15. Siddharth Trivedi

Siddharth Trivedi, who used to play for Gujarat in domestic cricket, reinforced RR’s pace attack. He played 15 games and took 13 wickets at an economy of 8.31. The pacer was associated with Rajasthan until 2013. Trivedi played his last domestic game for Saurashtra in March 2015. He announced his retirement from all forms of the sport in 2020.

14. Swapnil Asnodkar

Swapnil Asnodkar did a decent job as an opener, scoring 311 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 133.47. The right-handed batter failed to continue his fine work for RR in 2009 but they retained him for the 2010 season. Witnessing his underwhelming batting performance in 2010, the Royals parted ways with him. After 2011, the Goa batter never got a chance to feature in the IPL again. Asnodkar called time on his cricketing career in 2019. He was also appointed as coach of Goa’s U-19 side in 2020. 

13. Dimitri Mascarenhas

England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas was seen in Royals’ jersey from 2008 to 2010. In the maiden IPL season, he played only one game against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Jaipur and guided his team to a three-wicket win. He was released from RR before the 2011 auction. His last IPL appearance was in 2013 for Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Mascarenhas bid adieu to county cricket in 2013 which retired him from all forms of cricket. He rendered his services to the New Zealand cricket team as a bowling coach after the 2015 World Cup. 

12. Morne Morkel

RR signed up South Africa pacer Morne Morkel in 2008 for the maiden IPL edition but benched him for the entire season. Morkel played four matches for RR during his stint with the Royals from 2008 to 2010. The pacer served DC and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in further seasons. 

In March 2018, he played his last Test against Australia in Johannesburg and brought the curtains down to his international career. The Protea bowling legend served Pakistan as a bowling coach from June 2023 to November 2023. Morkel is currently the bowling coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) which broke into IPL in 2022.

11. Darren Lehmann

Former Australia all-rounder Darren Lehmann retired from domestic cricket in 2007 but he took part in the 2008 IPL season. Royals signed up the veteran and gave him a chance in two games. Batting in both matches, the Aussie put up ordinary numbers which became the reason for his ouster from the playing XI.

From 2013 to 2018, he served the Australian cricket team as head coach. Under his guidance, the Aussie side won the 2015 World Cup. In 2013, Lehmann was in the Punjab Kings (PBKS) camp as head coach. 

10. Younis Khan

Pakistan batter Younis Khan played only one game for Rajasthan. He was a part of RR’s playing XI against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mohali but could score only three runs from his bat. The veteran couldn’t feature in the league after 2008 as the IPL governing council banned Pakistan players after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Younis retired from international cricket in May 2017. Currently, he serves a Pakistani news channel as a cricket expert.

Also check: Rajasthan Royals' jersey over the years

9. Kamran Akmal

RR snapped up Kamran Akmal for INR 60 lakh in the maiden IPL auction. Showing up in six games, the wicketkeeper batter looked miserable, scoring 128 runs at an average of 25.60. Noting his dismal performances, the Royals didn’t include him in the playing XI in crucial contests. As Akmal was also a Pakistani national so he also didn’t show up in the league after the 2008 edition. 

Akmal was dropped from Team Pakistan in April 2017, after his disastrous batting display in white-ball formats during the West Indies tour. In February 2023, the veteran announced retirement from cricket’s all formats. Following Pakistan’s disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign, Akmal was inducted into the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee. 

8. Mohammad Kaif

Mohammad Kaif played the entire season for the Royals in 2008 but scored only 176 runs in 14 innings at a low strike rate of 102.92. After the 2009 IPL edition, Kaif was released from the RR squad. In 2012, he was seen in RCB’s jersey but failed to do wonders for them as well. Kaif retired from all forms of cricket in July 2018.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja kicked off his IPL career in Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2008. Playing 14 games, he scored only 135 runs in nine innings at a horrendous average of 19.28. Since 2012, Jadeja has been serving CSK in the cash-rich league. In international cricket, he is one of the illustrious all-rounders after serving Team India for 15 years. 

6. Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel did his job efficiently and played an instrumental role in RR’s magnificent success. He grabbed 14 wickets in 15 matches at a decent economy of 7.63. In India’s 2011 World Cup win, the speedster contributed 11 wickets in eight matches at an economy of 5.36. In November 2018, Munaf retired from competitive cricket after failing to get a spot in Team India for more than seven years.  

5. Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan did an excellent job with the bat to help his side clinch the trophy. In 16 games, he notched up 435 runs in 15 innings at an extraordinary strike rate of 179.01. In the final against CSK, he became the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock of 56 off 39. Riding on his innings, RR pulled off the target of 164 on the last delivery of the contest. 

Yusuf was a part of Team India which won the 2011 World Cup at home. After 2010, RR didn’t retain Yusuf, and from 2011 to 2017, he gave his services to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In February 2021, the 2011 World Cup champion hung up his boots from all forms of the sport.

Also read: Yusuf Pathan joins TMC, to contest Lok Sabha Elections from Berhampore constituency

4. Graeme Smith

Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith exuded confidence with his bat in RR colours. As an opener, the southpaw delivered fine starts to the side consistently. With 441 runs in 11 matches at an average of 49.00, he ended up as the fifth-leading run-getter in the competition. 

Smith concluded his international career in March 2014 after appearing in his last Test against Australia in Cape Town. From December 2019 to April 2022, he was the director of Cricket South Africa (CSA). Currently, Smith is the commissioner of the SA20 League started by Cricket South Africa in 2023.

3. Shane Watson

Shane Watson’s all-round prowess was one of the main reasons for RR’s success in the inaugural season of the cash-rich tournament. As a batter, he ended up as the fourth-highest run-scorer with 472 runs in 15 contests at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 151.76. With the ball, he scalped 17 wickets in 15 matches at a thrifty economy of 7.07.

Watson was associated with the Royals until 2015. In 2016, the Aussie called time on his international career after the 2016 T20 World Cup in India. The legendary all-rounder retired from all forms of the sport in 2020. Currently, Watson is associated with the prestigious game of cricket as a commentator.

2. Sohail Tanvir

RR invested INR 40.10 lakh in the Pakistan paceman Sohail Tanvir in the first IPL auction. At a reasonable amount, the left-arm bowler delivered impactful numbers to his team. In just 11 games, he took 22 wickets at an economy of 6.46 and became the first Purple Cap winner of the league. 

Tanvir couldn’t participate in IPL again after 2008 due to the ban imposed on Pakistan players, following the infamous Mumbai attack in November 2008. In March 2023, the veteran speedster retired from international cricket. Nowadays, the former Pakistan bowler is often seen on a renowned Pakistani TV channel as a cricket expert.

1. Shane Warne

Shane Warne led RR from the front in the inaugural season. His confident leadership got the best out of players such as Watson, Smith, Pathan, and Tanvir. With the ball, the Aussie claimed 19 wickets in 15 matches at an economy of 7.76 and ended up as the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition. 

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Warne retired from IPL after serving the Royals in the 2011 season. In March 2022, the Aussie spin wizard passed away in Thailand, due to a cardiac arrest. After retiring from international cricket, Warne was seen as a commentator in international games and domestic matches in Australia.