Winning the IPL was like icing on the cake for Shane Warne: Sachin Tendulkar

Arguably the greatest leg-spinner to have ever stepped onto the cricket, Shane Warne was nothing short of a nightmare for bowlers during his playing days. The spin magician tormented the best of batters and took Australia to numerous wins. In fact, his tally of 708 Test wickets is still the second highest for any bowler. Besides his success in international cricket, Warne also managed to make a mark in T20 leagues.

In fact, leading Rajasthan Royals to glory in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the highlights of his career. Not many backed the Jaipur-based team to go a long way as there weren’t many prominent names in the team. Moreover, Warne was also a retired international cricketer during the 2008 competition. However, the Royals stunned one and all and became the first IPL champions.

No one gave Rajasthan Royals a chance: Shane Warne

The former Royals skipper recalled his stint with the IPL franchise in the documentary on his life – ‘Shane.’ “I was captain and coach of Rajasthan Royals, that was exciting,” Warne said about the stint in the documentary. Former England all-rounder and Warne’s ex-Royals teammate Dimitri Mascarenhas added, “On paper we had the worst team – everyone knew it, the press knew it.”

Warne also recalled that Royals started their campaign with a humiliating nine-wicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). “No one gave us a chance, we had young kids who were 17-18 years of age who had played very little cricket; first game we were hammered by Delhi Daredevils and Virender Sehwag smashed us all around,” said Warne.

“I walk into the dressing room and there are players crying. I said, ‘Boys, have I missed something? Has someone died? We lost a cricket game, we still have 13 more games to go,’” the legendary cricketer further recalled. Meanwhile, former Mumbai Indians captain and one of Warne’s fiercest rivals, Sachin Tendulkar feels winning IPL was an ‘icing’ on the cake for Warne.

“Shane managed the team and strategized rather well. Winning the IPL was like icing on the cake for him because he was already a favourite in the eyes of the Indian fans,” Tendulkar said.