Former Australian legend, Shane Warne sadly passed away at the age of 52 on Friday. Shane suffered a heart attack as per reports, in his villa in Thailand, where he was on a vacation with his friends. Despite their best efforts to salvage his life, the spin legend could not be revived.
After making his Test debut in January 1992 against India, Shane finished his illustrious playing career as the second-highest wicket-taker in the purest format, amassing 708 wickets, in 145 Test matches.
He also represented Australia 194 times in ODI cricket, with a further 293 scalps to his name. Warne called time on his international career in 2007.
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After drawing curtains on his international career, the Aussie legend continued to play cricket around the world, in various leagues. In 2008, Warne was picked up by Rajasthan Royals (RR) as their skipper and coach for the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
What he meant to the Royals family. pic.twitter.com/XkiKVjVuAT
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 5, 2022
Surprisingly, during the inaugural IPL auction, Warne wasn’t in much demand and drew just one bid, which was from the Royals. It would prove to be a masterstroke, as he led the franchise – who were billed as underdogs in the lead-up to the tournament – to their maiden IPL title.
In the years since Rajasthan Royals have even failed to reach the IPL final. But do you know how much salary he earned while playing for the franchise?
READ| WATCH: Old video of Shane Warne goes viral when he bowled to Shah Rukh Khan during IPL 2011
The Australian leggie had set his base price as USD 400,000. In fact, former IPL auctioneer Richard Madley in a recent interview with Ravichandran Ashwin recalled the manner how Warne was roped in the Royals.
You’d be lying if you said you never tried to imitate this iconic bowling action.
Legacy of a champion.#RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/H9VLLZJybr
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 5, 2022
“I remember the second player coming out of the bag that day was Shane Warne. I thought okay here’s Warnie and this will be interesting, his base price was I think around 400000 US dollars. That’s what he sold for at his base price to Rajasthan Royals and I thought at that time that was a smart move,” recalled Madley.
He further added, “It’s a smart move because at the end of his career but someone remarkably successful, experienced, charismatic and who was a leader. They bought Shane Warne and what did Rajasthan Royals do in IPL one, they won it.”
READ| Shane Warne will never be forgotten, says Rajasthan Royals’ owner Manoj Badale
Warne played for Rajasthan Royals till 2011, representing them a total of 55 times in the cash-rich league.
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