Rajasthan Royals were the winners of the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. Led by veteran Australia cricketer, Shane Warne; Rajasthan defeated Chennai Super Kings in the finale by three wickets. DY Patil Stadium, which hosted the summit clash saw a few of the established and emerging talents going head-on. As MS Dhoni, Makhaya Ntini, Muttiah Muralitharan were the well-known faces; players like Ravindra Jadeja, Swapnil Asnodkar and Yusuf Pathan were entering into the mainstream cricket with their performances.
Meanwhile, Cricket Addictor reveals where are the players of the RR side who were there in the finale of IPL 2008.
Rajasthan Royals – IPL 2008 winners – Where are they now?
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Niraj Patel (Gujarat, Assam, India)
An aspiring left-handed batsman from Gujarat, Niraj Patel was the opener during IPL 2008 finals. Against CSK, the Rajasthan Royals’ player, Niraj scored two off 11 balls. Though in the penultimate game against Mumbai Indians, he scored a 29-ball 40 and helped RR enter the summit clash against then favourites, CSK. In the nine matches he played for Rajasthan Royals, Niraj Patel scored 121 runs with a highest of 57.
In the past, Niraj had played for Gujarat for 15 years until 2013 when he switched his state to Assam. He had been an impressive performer, representing in 100 first-class matches and 69 List A games. Niraj last played a game in the domestic structure in 2015. Now, Niraj Patel coaches cricket to the players for Chicago United Cricket Club and stays in Chicago itself.
