The Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne's only IPL franchise, paid tribute to Warne on Friday (March 4, 2022). Warne died at the age of 52 from a suspected heart attack.
In 2008, Warne led the "underdogs" Rajasthan Royals to victory in the first-ever Indian Premier League. That triumph remains RR's only IPL victory to date.
He played 55 matches with the Royals and helped nurture a number of young Indian cricketers during his time with the team.
Following his retirement from the game, Warne was the Royals' mentor after assisting Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan early on in the IPL.
The official statement by Rajasthan Royals reads "Shane Warne. The name stands for magic. Our first Royal; the man who made us believe that impossible is just a myth. A leader who walked the walk talked the talk and turned underdogs into champions. A mentor who turned everything he touched into gold.
"Warnie, you will forever be our captain, leader, Royal. Rest in Peace, legend."
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 4, 2022
Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja took to Twitter to express their grief and shock.
"Absolutely shocked to hear about Shane Warne. A terrific statesman of our game. May God bless his soul and my condolences to his loved ones," Jadeja said in his tweet.
Absolutely shocked to hear about Shane Warne. A terrific statesman of our game. May God bless his soul and my condolences to his loved ones. 🙏🏻
— Ravindrasinh jadeja (@imjadeja) March 4, 2022
Yousuf Pathan in his tweet said " Very tough to consume this news"
Shocked to hear the sudden demise of @ShaneWarne. He was one of the skippers I always rated very highly. Very tough to consume this news. Condolences to his family and dear ones. pic.twitter.com/M7Z3Uv8ori
— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) March 4, 2022