Sohail Tanvir: The forgotten hero of Rajasthan Royals’ historic IPL triumph

Sohail Tanvir, who took the first-ever five-wicket haul in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL), has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 38-year-old, who last played a T20I for Pakistan in 2017, will continue to play domestic and league cricket.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote:

“Announcement: I am retiring from all formats of international cricket and will continue to play domestic and franchise cricket going forward. Thank you to @TheRealPCB for giving me the opportunity to play for my country.”

For the uninitiated, Sohail Tanvir played a significant role as Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the first-ever edition of the IPL.

The left arm not only won the purple cap for his 22 wickets in 11 games but also hit the winning runs against MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2008 final. Chasing 164, Tanvir stitched a 21-run partnership for the eighth wicket as RR won off the ultimate delivery.

So far in his T20 career, Tanvir has picked up 389 wickets in 388 games, including prestigious tournaments like the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super Kings (PSL) and the IPL.

Sohail Tanvir, however, could only represent Pakistan in 62 ODIs, 57 T20Is and 2 Tests despite his promising bowling, picking up 130 wickets across formats.

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Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Amir to play for Asia Lions in Legends League Cricket

Sohail Tanvir will next play for the Asia Lions in the upcoming edition of the Legends League Cricket (LLC). He will be joined by his former Pakistan teammate Mohammad Amir. The duo will ensure a formidable pace attack to ensure the Lions win their first-ever LLC title after finishing as runners-up in the first edition of the T20 tournament.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi will lead Asia Lions, while Gautam Gambhir and Aaron Finch will captain India Maharajas and World Giants, respectively. The opening game will be played between Asia Lions and India Maharajas on March 10 in Doha, live streaming on the Star Sports Network.

Click here to check out the full schedule of the LLC Masters.