Ahead of the start of IPL 2022, Ex-Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir has recalled his heroics while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural season of the league. The 37-year-old said that his spell against Chennai Super Kings was the one performance that gave him worldwide recognition.
The 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) will always be fondly remembered for not just being the inaugural edition of the tournament but also the only edition where Pakistani cricketers were allowed to participate. One of them was left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, who took IPL by storm while playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
In fact, with a tally of 22 wickets in 11 matches, Tanvir won the Purple Cap (most wickets in the tournament) in IPL 2008. The most shining moment of Tanvir’s glorious season was a sensational spell against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, where he returned excellent figures of 6-14.
In a recent interaction on a Sports Yaari documentary, Tanvir called that spell one performance that gave him worldwide recognition.
“The spell against CSK was one of the best spells I have ever bowled. I was bowling well in IPL before that, but it won’t be wrong if I say the spell against Chennai gave me worldwide recognition,” said Tanvir.
While speaking about that incredible spell, Tanvir explained, “Seamers get help early on in Jaipur. The ball was moving around. I dismissed Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming leg-before, the ball was certainly doing a bit. In the second spell, my slower ones were quite effective.
“I still remember I had taken five wickets while conceding only three runs before Makhaya Ntini came in and scored 10 runs against me. But yes, I feel very proud of that spell and it remains a lifetime memory for me.”
Tanvir inspired RR to the title in 2008 under the captaincy of Shane Warne, who died earlier this month. He even scored the winning runs in a nail-biting final against CSK, led by MS Dhoni, at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium.
After making a phenomenal start to his career, the left-arm pacer has not played for Pakistan in any format since 2014, although he is a regular starter in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).