Rajasthan Royals appoint Shane Warne as mentor

Bengaluru, February 13: Rajasthan Royals on Monday (February 13) appointed legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne as their mentor.

Warne will be associated with the franchise for the 2018 IPL.

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"Rajasthan Royals holds a very special place in my cricketing journey. I am overwhelmed by the love and affection showered on me by the franchise and fans of Rajasthan Royals," said Warne in an Instagram video.

Very excited to be joining the @rajasthanroyals in this years #IPL as team mentor ! #HallaBol

A post shared by Shane Warne (@shanewarne23) on Feb 12, 2018 at 11:08pm PST

On the appointment of Warne, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Manoj Badale said: "Bringing back Shane Warne is also a way to giving back to our fans who have stood by us in trying times."

This one's for you Warnie!!!
The First Royal 👑 @ShaneWarne returns home. Let’s get the season started... 💪🔥 #HallaBol #AbBajegaDanka #TheReturnOfTheFirstRoyal #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/RuVN4cwb5O
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) February 13, 2018

The Aussie leg-spinner who has 708 Test wickets, had led Royals to a stunning title win in the first edition of the IPL in 2008.

Thanks for the opportunity guys ! I’m pumped to be the team mentor this season ! #HallaBol https://t.co/cDgLslygMF
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) February 13, 2018

Warne has taken 56 wickets in 52 IPL games and he last played in the IPL in 2011.

Last week itself Warne had indicated his return to Royals through his twitter handle saying: "Looking forward to making an announcement to you guys this week which I'm very excited about & yes it involves the #IPL2018."

Royals will be led by Australian skipper Steve Smith in this year's IPL after the franchise retained him ahead of the IPL auctions that held in Bengaluru last month.

Apart from Smith, Royals have England all-rounder Ben Stokes, pacer Jaydev Unadkat, India batsman Ajinkya Rahane and England wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler.