Rajasthan Royals (RR) will always hold a special place in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). After all, they were the first team to win the tournament. Led by the late Shane Warne, a bunch of underdogs lifted the inaugural IPL championship in 2008. Rajasthan failed to recreate the magic in later years, though, and haven’t won any other edition since. They reached the playoffs in 2013, 2015, and 2018 but failed to qualify in the other seasons. While they have mostly underperformed, RR hold some interesting records in the IPL. Take a look.
1. Highest run chase
Rajasthan hold the record for the highest run chase in the IPL. They achieved this feat in the IPL 2020 edition against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a rather incredible fashion. Punjab batted first in the match and posted a massive 223 for 2 in their 20 overs. Mayank Agarwal slammed a sensational 106 in only 50 balls. KL Rahul contributed a sedate 69 in 54. In response, the game seemed out of RR’s grasp despite half-centuries from Sanju Samson and Steve Smith. However, Rahul Tewatia (53 off 31) clattered Sheldon Cottrell for five consecutive sixes to ensure victory for RR by four wickets.
2. Fastest hundred by an Indian in the IPL
The fastest hundred by an Indian in the IPL and the second-fastest ever is in the name of a Rajasthan player. Yusuf Pathan smashed a 37-ball 100 against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium in 2010. MI batted first and put up 212 for 6 on the board. In response, Pathan slapped nine fours and eight sixes in his sensational knock. He was run out immediately after getting his century. Unfortunately for Pathan, despite his exceptional effort, RR still ended up losing by 4 runs.
3. Fewest defeats in a season
RR have a rather unique record in the IPL, that of the fewest defeats in an IPL season. They achieved the feat when they won their only title in 2008. Rajasthan only lost three matches during the entire season. They won 11 of their 14 league games and topped the points table. RR then defeated Delhi Daredevils in the qualifiers and Chennai Super Kings in the final. The three matches they lost in the tournament were against Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, and Kings XI Punjab. All the other teams have lost at least four games in an IPL season.
4. Only captain-coach to win IPL
There have been many players in the IPL who have first been players and then became coaches. There is Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum among the prominent names. Some like Ricky Ponting even captained the Mumbai Indians before becoming head coach of Delhi Capitals. In that sense, the late Shane Warne has a unique record. He acted as both captain and coach and led Rajasthan to victory. To date, Warne remains the only player to win the IPL simultaneously as both captain and coach of the team.
5. Highest score by an England batter
Jos Buttler’s 124 off 64 balls for Rajasthan against Sunrisers Hyderabad is the highest individual score by an England batter in the history of the IPL so far. Buttler slammed his maiden IPL hundred during the IPL 2021 season Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Delhi. He thumped 11 fours and eight sixes during his innings. Thanks to Buttler’s brilliance, RR ended up posting an impressive 220 for 3 on the board. The bowlers then restricted SRH to 165 for 8 as Rajasthan won the contest by 55 runs. Before Buttler, Jonny Bairstow’s 114 off 56 balls for SRH against RCB was the highest score by an England batter in the IPL. Ben Stokes and Kevin Pietersen are the other Englishmen who have registered tons in the IPL.