Over 22,000 people flocked to Lord’s yesterday to watch the first ever British Asian Challenge, that saw the inaugural champions of the Indian Premier League, the Rajasthan Royals go head to head against the reigning Twenty20 Cup Champions, the Middlesex Panthers. The match saw Rajasthan Royals storm to victory by 42 runs, scoring an impressive 162 with a loss of only 5 wickets in their twenty overs. Sohail Tanveer, Dimitri Mascarenhas and captain Shane Warne put the Panthers’ hopes of a win to bed with some impressive bowling. Dimitri Mascarenhas, later named Man of the Match, not only scored 32 runs but also took the wickets of Dexter and Shah.

The British Asian Challenge, in aid of the British Asian Trust, one of The Prince’s Charities, was the first Twenty20 match to be played by an IPL team in England and also marked what is probably the last time that cricket legend Shane Warne will play at Lord’s. Shane Warne, captain of the Rajasthan Royals commented on the match: “A truly awesome experience – the reception that we got here was amazing. Everyone has taken the spirit of Twenty20 cricket and the IPL to their hearts and created an atmosphere second to none. This was a great way to bowl my last ball at Lord’s, and the win makes it even more special!”

The match was a unique opportunity for cricket fans to see a line-up of players from five of the greatest cricketing nations, including Indian team heroes Munaf Patel and Mohammed Kaif, Pakistani world cup winner Sohail Tanvir and Hampshire and England player Dimitri Mascarenhas pitching their talents and skills against the likes of Owais Shah, Murali Kartik, Tyron Henderson and captain Shaun Udal.

Adding to the glamour was Rajasthan Royal’s co-owner and Celebrity Big Brother winner, Shilpa Shetty who cheered her team on and opened the Bollywood entertainment during the rain delay during the Royals’ innings. Shetty said: “I’m delighted that the Rajasthan Royals were the first IPL team to play in England – and at Lord’s. It makes me very proud to see India’s two greatest exports – the movie industry and cricket being taken up by the rest of the world! ”