Rajasthan Royals made history when they stunned everyone with their spectacular performance in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. The IPL came into existence in the 2008 season, just after the first T20 World Cup in South Africa. The first season of the IPL has a total of eight teams competing for the title.
Meanwhile, the least favorite team ahead of the start of the tournament was Mohali-based franchise Rajasthan Royals. But in the end, they became the first ever team, and it was Shane Warne who became the first ever captain to lead a franchise to the IPL title. And here we will discuss about the list of some amazing records held by the Rajasthan Royals in the history of the IPL.
1. Highest IPL score in a losing Cause
It is rather easy for a team to score big totals in the first inning when the pressure is low. But when it is about the chase, scoring big totals becomes more difficult. However, RR holds the record for the highest second-inning total in the IPL in a losing cause. It came in the 2010 season against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai. Batting first, CSK made 246/5 in their 20 overs, with Murali Vijay scoring 127 off 56. In reply, RR also got a good start with Naman Ohja scoring 94 not out. But in the end, RR ended up with 223/5 and lost by 23 runs.
2. Highest successful chase in IPL
Rajasthan Royals hold the record for both the highest IPL total in the second inning. In fact, they have recorded the highest successful run chase in IPL history. It came in the 2020 season in Sharjah against the Punjab Kings. Batting first, PBKS made a big total of 223/2, with Mayank Agarwal scoring 106 runs off 50 balls. In response, Sanju Samson (85 off 42) and Steve Smith (50 off 27) helped RR reach 226/6 in 19.3 overs to win the game by four wickets and record the highest IPL chase.
3. Fewest Defeats in a Single IPL edition
Domination by a team shows when the tournament ends. Normally, with so many good teams in a competition, it is not that easy to beat every team. But it had happened in the 2008 season, when Rajasthan recorded the fewest number of defeats in an entire IPL season. RR played a total of 16 games in the inaugural season, including the semi-final and the final, and lost only three games. These defeats occurred in the group stage against Delhi, Mumbai, and Punjab, in that order. Apart from that, they won all of their games.
4. Fastest IPL Century by an Indian
Chris Gayle scored the record for the fastest century in the Indian Premier League. He smashed a 30-ball hundred against Pune Warriors when he scored an unbeaten 175 runs. But the fastest IPL century by an Indian is registered under the name of Yusuf Pathan, who scored a 37-ball hundred playing for Rajasthan in 2010 against Mumbai Indians in Brabourne Stadium. MI scored 212 runs in their first inning. RR were in trouble at 66/4 then came a 37-ball century by Pathan. But in the end, MI ended up winning by four runs.
5. Only Captain and Coach to win an IPL season
There have been a number of players, who played a dual role of a player and coach over the seasons in IPL. Stephen Fleming played for CSK and then became the coach; Brendon McCullum played for KKR and has coached as well. Ricky Ponting led MI and is the head coach of DC. However, Shane Warne is the only player who has captained and coached a team to an IPL victory. He was the captain and coach of the RR during their inaugural season in 2008. Till date, he is the only player to register this unique record.