"He walked up to me and said, 'You are my man'" - Sohail Tanvir recalls his conversation with Shane Warne during IPL 2008
Former Pakistani pacer Sohail Tanvir was part of the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) side in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. The side were touted as the underdogs but ended up scripting history by winning the tournament.
Speaking about his stint in the cash-rich league, Tanvir mentioned that Warne was impressed with him when he first saw him bowl in the nets in Bangalore. He revealed that the legendary Aussie spinner told him that he would be his "main man" for the season.
Tanvir made these comments during his recent appearance on Pakistani YouTuber Nadir Ali's podcast. He said:
"I don't think Shane Warne had ever seen me play. The first time he saw me was at the nets in Bangalore. He walked up to me and said, 'You are my man'. It raised my morale significantly. I rate Warne very highly because most of the players who were part of the Rajasthan team went on to become superstars after that."
Tanvir also spoke about how he was asked to stay back in Pakistan at the start of the competition. He stated that he joined the team following a phone call from the IPL chairman.
"When I was informed by the board of my IPL contract, there wasn't a lot of excitement. It was a new league and I didn't know how big it was going to be. I was roaming with my friends in my hometown when the tournament had already started," Tanvir said.
"The IPL chairman called me to ask why I didn't come to India for the tournament. I told him that I was told that Shane Warne didn't need me at that time. He informed me that a player must be with the team, doesn't matter if he plays or not," he added.
Notably, Tanvir finished as the leading wicket-taker of the season, bagging 22 scalps from just 11 matches.
"The owners were so happy that they gave me double salary" - Sohail Tanvir on RR''s IPL victory
Sohail Tanvir further stated that the owners of the Rajastan Royals were overjoyed with his performances in the inaugural edition of the IPL. He mentioned that he received double his salary after the team's championship triumph.
The 38-year-old suggested that he was going to get a substantial raise for the second season, but the deal could not be closed as Pakistani players were banned from the league. He said:
"I was going to get a reward for my performance in the next season. I was negotiating by contract, and it would have possibly closed at around half a million (dollars). But sadly, Pakistani cricketers were banned from the league. My initial contract was $1,25,000. The owners were so happy that they gave me double salary after we won."
Tanvir retired from international cricket in March 2023. He finished with 130 wickets across formats.