Shane Warne's Midas touch won underdogs Rajasthan Royals inaugural IPL title

Indian Premier League (IPL) was launched in 2008, nobody expected a semi-retired 37-year-old Shane Warne to lead a Rajasthan Royals side built on a shoestring budget to win one of the most lucrative tournaments in the world. The glamorous cash-rich Twenty20 franchise league immediately captured the hearts and imagination of a cricket-crazy country as their beloved stars rubbed shoulders with arch rivals and the best players in the world.

Read AlsoLegendary Australian spinner Shane Warne dies of ‘suspected heart attack’

Australia cricket legend and one of the greatest leg-spinners of all-time, Shane Warne, died, aged 52, on Friday after a suspected heart attack in Thailand. Warne is regarded as one of the finest leg-spin bowlers of all time after a career in which he took 708 Test wickets in a career which spanned

Warne, who had already retired from Tests and one-day international cricket after claiming over a 1,000 international wickets, was considered a spent force in the short, fast-paced format that heavily favoured the youngsters. But when the players were 'auctioned' to the eight franchises, Rajasthan -- who spent the least among all teams -- raised their paddle when Warne's name came out of the bag to snap him up for $450,000.

In the wily leg spinner, however, the team from the Pink City of Jaipur struck gold. Long seen as India's enemy after his many run-ins with the country's batting heroes, Warne relished the prospect of being cheered on in hostile territory and grabbed the spotlight one last time.

Read AlsoShane Warne's top 3 moments in international cricket

Former Australia spinner Shane Warne, considered as one of the all-time greats of the game who redefined spin bowling, died on Friday of a suspected heart