IPL 2022 | Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals invite players from the batch of 2008 for felicitation

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be eyeing their second Indian Premier League title when they take on the IPL debutants Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 29).  

In the tournament's inaugural edition, Rajasthan Royals last won the IPL title, beating Chennai Super Kings in the summit clash in 2008. 

Since then, the MS Dhoni-led side has lifted the glitzy IPL trophy four times while the Rajasthan-based franchise remained trophyless. They have managed to qualify for the playoffs three times since then. However, this time, Rajasthan built a formidable unit with some terrific retention and signings, which is now a step away from lifting its second IPL trophy. 

Meanwhile, to make the event more memorable, the management of Rajasthan Royals have invited the batch of 2008 which won the inaugural edition of the IPL to felicitate them. It is also considered one humble step from the team to remember their mentor and the legend Shane Warne, who led them to their first-ever IPL title.

Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Swapnil Asnodkar, Dinesh Salunkhe, Siddharth Trivedi, and Ravindra Jadeja are among those who are invited. The overseas players like Kamran Akmal, Shane Watson, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Graeme Smith Darren Lehmann, and Sohail Tanvir will not be able to attend the congregation due to different reasons. 

Graeme Smith is part of the commentary panel of the ongoing edition of IPL and will be present during the match as well. 

"We are a family, and we believe in the principle of 'once a Royal, always a Royal. We want all our family members to be part of our celebrations and success," said Romi Bhander, the head of Rajasthan Royals' Jaipur-based high-performance centre.

Swapnil Asnodkar has also confirmed his participation in the get-together.

"I have been invited, and I will be going there tomorrow," Asnodkar told the Times of India. 

Rajasthan Royals were always favourites for the playoff during the league stage, given the kind of form their key players were in, especially Yuzvendra Chahal and Jos Buttler, the current Orange cap holder. 

Rajasthan Royals won a total of nine out of 14 league stage matches and finished second on the points table with 18 points and a net run rate of +0.298. Sanju Samson-led side outclassed Royal Challengers Bangalore by 7 wickets after chasing down a target of 158 runs with 11 balls to spare to make it to the finals.