Global pop icon Ed Sheeran, popular for his tracks Shape of You, Perfect and Bad Habits is currently on his India tour. The four-time Grammy winner has already performed in Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and has two more shows left in Shillong and Delhi. The singer-songwriter recently met Rajasthan Royals cricketers Riyan Parag and Tushar Deshpande and tried to hit a few balls. The Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 and since then, they have failed to repeat their heroics. Sanju Samson will lead the side in the upcoming eighteenth edition.

Before his show in Shillong (February 12, 2025), Ed Sheeran met a Riyan Parag and Tushar Deshpande to play a game of cricket. The pop icon also donned Rajasthan Royals’ iconic jersey with Warne written on the back. By his own admission, Ed and Warne used to be great friends with a common interest in cricket. ‘I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore. And I have had that throughout my life.… You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it‘, Sheeran had said to Rolling Stone, after Warne passed away.

The Royals, the inaugural IPL champions haven’t won the coveted silverware for seventeen years now. The Royals lifted the trophy under the leadership of the late Shane Warne who was both the captain and the coach of the side. Royals did come close to winning the trophy in 2022, but they were outplayed by Gujarat Titans in the finals. The Royals retained the services of Sanju Samson for INR 18 crores and he will continue to lead the team. Yashasvi Jaiswal who was also retained for Rs 18 crore is the franchise’s future and great things will be expected out of him. The franchise has also made a few valuable editions in the form of Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande and Nitish Rana