[WATCH] “Wear it with pride for Warnie” - Rajasthan Royals paid special tribute to Shane Warne ahead of their 1st IPL 2022 clash

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) paid a special tribute to their first captain, the late Shane Warne, at a team gathering ahead of their opening IPL 2022 encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday.

Seven players made their debut for the RR franchise in the match against SRH. Before the new players received their caps, Rajasthan’s director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara gave a heartfelt speech and urged all the players to wear their caps with pride for 'Warnie'.

RR’s official YouTube channel shared a video of the franchise paying special tribute to the Aussie legend. The video was uploaded with the title:

“A special gesture in tribute to our first Royal.”

A clip of Warne, who captained RR to the title in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, was played on the screen after which Sangakkara began his speech by saying:

“Everyone would have had different interactions with Warnie. I have known him for a very long time. He was unique as every one of you are. We have seven debutants today who are playing. We have many more who are new. So when you take this cap today and wear it, you are not just living the memories and showing gratitude and honoring Warnie and the Royals, you are also honoring the fact that you guys are unique."

Urging the RR players to be authentic, the Sri Lankan legend added:

“Your initials are here. All the guys who are playing today, who are new to the Royals, pick up your cap and when you wear it, wear it with pride for Warnie, for the franchise, but more importantly for yourself.”

Rajasthan got their IPL 2022 campaign off to an impressive start, hammering SRH by 61 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Batting first, they put up 210 for six on the board before restricting Hyderabad to 149 for seven.

Click here for the latest IPL live score 2022 and news updates.

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Former cricketers fondly remember 'genius' Shane Warne at memorial service

The cricketing fraternity and fans paid tribute to Warne at a memorial service at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. Thousands of admirers of the late cricket legend attended the event.

The cricket great’s father Keith shared a heartfelt message and said:

"Looking forward to a future without Shane is inconceivable. But we take comfort in knowing that Shane packed more into his life of 52 years, five months and 19 days than most people would in two lifetimes."

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor added that the fact Warne had that rough diamond character about him made him what people like to see. He commented:

“People like to see something a bit different, and they got that with Warnie.”

Another former Aussie skipper, Allan Border, described Warne as a genius. He said:

"I don't know how the Oxford dictionary defined genius, but he's as close as I've been to genius, the way he developed his game and just transcended everything."

The 52-year-old spin wizard passed away from a heart attack on March 4 while holidaying in Thailand.