Shane Warne will Retire at the End of IPL 4; May Coach Rajasthan Royals in IPL 5

Just as Shane Warne is labelling his British model-actress, Liz Hurley, as his lucky charm for the Rajasthan Royals, the charm may have spoken too soon.

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England is abuzz with reports in a UK magazine that claim that Hurley has gone on record to state that her former Australian cricketer-boyfriend will retire at the end of the IPL 4 season and will no longer be seen playing international cricket.

Before the IPL 4 auctions, eyebrows were raised when Shane Warne was retained by the Rajasthan Royals franchisee. However, now his girlfriend, Liz Hurley, has apparently told certain sections of the British media that the former Australian leg spinner and the present Rajasthan Royals captain may not continue for the IPL 5 season and would instead call it a day as far as his cricket playing days are concerned.

Hurley is believed to have even acknowledged that Warne was keeping his commitment to the team that he helped build because of Rajasthan Royals' problems with the BCCI over the past one year and did not want to leave matters on a sad note and decided to play on for another year in extension of his association. Warne though always seemed interested in prolonging his cricket career, intentions he made clear during the IPL 3 itself, so the word comes as something of a surprise. Will he still play the Rajasthan Royals coach? Everything is a possibility at the moment.

Shane Warne led Rajasthan Royals to inaugural success in the IPL and has been the force behind the development of some relatively unknown players into household names. Perhaps the biggest international credit would go for the recovery of Shane Watson who has emerged as Australia's top player in light of Australia's recent troubles.

Warne has defied age, his critics and the cricket world. And it would hardly be surprising if those stories emanating from England are swashed with Warne interested in carrying on to defy all in the IPL.