When Rajasthan Royals won the Paarl franchise there was a collective gasp of excitement in the Indian cricket ecosystem. From the start of the Indian Premier League, Rajasthan has been the most innovative and disruptive franchise, on and off the field.
Long-time watchers of the tournament will remember how an aging Shane Warne took a team of no-names and no-hopers to the title in the inaugural edition in 2008. Shane Watson was the man of the tournament, having scored 472 runs and picking up 17 wickets. Warne, who was captain and coach at the time, was credited with making a fairytale come true.
Despite their Royal name, the Rajasthan team was known best for securing bargain-basement players in auctions, signing up others that nobody seemed to have heard of, and then going on to win. Over the years they have secured the services of some of the top players in the world, including Graeme Smith, Shaun Tait, Rahul Dravid, Lasith Malinga, and Sohail Tanveer.
Equally, they have been credited with giving a platform to outliers who could barely break into their respective domestic teams. Pravin Tambe was perhaps the most evocative of these. Tambe, the legspinner, made his IPL debut at the age of 41, having not played any significant professional cricket till then. After his IPL success, he played two first-class matches for Mumbai.
The Paarl Royals announced David Miller as their captain, with the 33-year-old explosive left-hand hitter being handed the role of building his team. “It makes me immensely proud to have been appointed captain,” said Miller. “To be able to call it my home gives me great joy. The people of Paarl and the Western Cape as a whole are great supporters of quality and entertaining cricket, and my ambition will be to lead the team in the right manner and give our fans countless memories to cheer their team on. I am looking forward to working with an exciting set of players to start this SA20 journey.”
The team also has South African batsman JP Duminy as a coach, who was all praise for Miller. “David is one of the most passionate players you will meet, and his reading of the situations is something that will be very valuable to us. We are delighted to have such an experienced player as our leader and more importantly, someone who has a calm head on his shoulders.”
South African stars Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi were quickly inducted into the team. To bolster the setup, England’s Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, and Jason Roy were co-opted.
Emerging Media, who picked up the Jaipur-based franchise in 2008 with a bid of $67 million, paid the least for any of the eight teams in the fray. Since then, the ownership of the team has changed, with stake sales reportedly leaving Emerging Media IPL Ltd with 65 percent by the end of 2021. Lachlan Murdoch and RedBird Capital Partners are some of the others who have invested in the franchise.
Outside of cricket, the Rajasthan Royals have made a name for themselves with several programs aimed at helping those most in need. The RR Foundation runs initiatives that help women in their home state gain access to education, healthcare, clean water, and livelihoods in places where it is needed most.
In each of these micro-initiatives, targeted at enabling local communities to help themselves, the RR Foundation has made an impact. From raising awareness around menstrual health and hygiene to preserving folk art and promoting it in a way that creates sustainable livelihoods, they have worked with local communities to find solutions that make a difference.