IPL 2022: Rajasthan Royals pay emotional tribute to Shane Warne

Mumbai, March 30: Australian spin legend Shane Warne recently passed away due to a cardiac arrest and his sudden demise shook the cricketing world and left fans, friends and colleagues in tears. Warne was the first skipper to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he led Rajasthan Royals to the title in the inuaugural season of the tournament.

IPL 2022: In Memory of Shane Warne, the IPL 15 starts in Mumbai on emotional note IPL 2022: In Memory of Shane Warne, the IPL 15 starts in Mumbai on emotional note

Warne, who was the coach, mentor and captain of the Royals, led the Royals to triumph in 2008. On Tuesday, the Royals paid tribute to the spin magician. Paying tribute to their title-winning skipper, the Royals hung a poster of the legend in their dugout. The picture touched hearts as it went viral on social media.

The message along with Warne's picture read: Forever the first royal. Sharing it on social media, the Royals captioned it "With us, wherever we go."

Earlier, the league got off to an emotional start, as they paid tribute to Warne ahead of the start of the IPL season.

Warne, the second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket behind Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, had captained Rajasthan Royals to the IPL tile in the opening year in 2008, till date the team's only IPL trophy.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Royals kicked off their campaign with an smashing win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Skipper Sanju Samson led from the from the front as Rajasthan notched up a 61-run victory.