IPL’s first “Miracle”: Rajasthan Royals becomes the first team to win IPL in 2008

When the history of the IPL will be written, the Brendon McCullum’s 155 will definitely steal the show.  But it will also be remembered for the “Rajasthan Royals” who became the first team to win IPL. A team that was bought for the lowest price and full of youngsters lead by a spin wizard, but aging and retired one. A team with new faces, like they bought the leftovers. And that team, those leftovers, that aging spin wizard went on to become the first winner of IPL. The ultimate fairy-tale ending if there was one.

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So how did that happen? For starters, nobody gave them the chance. And the way Delhi Daredevils thrashed them in the first game, it all felt like writing on the wall.  But RR had youth, exuberance & they had nothing to lose. They were fearless.  One win was followed by another, and an occasional loss was dealt with a huge win in the next game. Before anyone could notice, they won 11 of the remaining 13 games and stormed into the Semis and then finals.

And all that happened, because of the contributions from the players many called leftovers, rookies. Swapnil Asnodkar and Graeme Smith gave them the flashy starts. Yousuf Pathan back then was the Andree Russell of that season. He was the x-factor RR needed.  Ravindra Jadeja was bought as an under 19 kid and he delivered way more than what people expected from him.

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But every champion team has an MVP. For Rajasthan Royals, Shane Watson was the MVP that year.  Most runs, most wickets for RR, he lit up the tournament with his blazing stroke play and wicket-taking spells. In bowling, Tanvir bamboozled the batsmen with his bizarre action & variations. And as cliché, as it sounds, it was a complete team performance for them that year.

Spin Wizard “Shane Warne”

But you need a leader. No matter how good your team is, you need a leader. And for RR at the start, they didn’t even have the team, which was fancied by many, so the captain’s role was more crucial and it was spin wizard Shane Warne.