Former British Prime Minister and Conservative politician Rishi Sunak on Tuesday, June 3, attended the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
The 45-year-old Sunak was seen cheering for RCB from the stands. Before the start of the game, the ex-UK Prime Minister had backed RCB to end their 18-year wait for an IPL trophy.
“I’ll give you a clue — Ee Sala Cup Namde! Hopefully, my pronunciation has improved since I proposed to Akshata 16 years ago in Kannada where, truth be told, I’m not entirely sure she knew what I was talking about!,” said Sunak.
“But obviously, I’m married into a Bangalore family, so RCB is my team. We went to matches together a long time ago, and actually, Akshata’s mother and father got me this shirt when we got married, which is great,” he added.
Sunak also revealed that he is a massive Virat Kohli fan and called the former India skipper a legend.
“Now, in terms of my favourite players obviously, I’m a massive Virat Kohli fan. He’s a total legend. One of my prized possessions is a signed bat of his that (India’s External Affairs) Minister S. Jaishankar brought me when I was Prime Minister, as a Diwali gift, to Downing Street — which is amazing,” he said.
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom also spoke about the return of cricket to the Olympics after a century-long hiatus.
Notably, cricket has been added to the list of competitions of the Los Angeles Games 2028, a first for the sport since 1900.
“It’s a sign of the influence India now has in the 21st century. India’s passions, India’s tastes — they now have a global impact. Why is cricket back in the Olympics for the first time in 100 years? Because of India,” said Sunak.
He also touched upon the landscape-changing effect the Indian Premier League (IPL) has had over the years.
“The IPL has transformed cricket. I think every cricketer, everywhere, wants to play in the IPL at some point in their career now. It’s also been great for the women’s game, getting more girls into the sport (through the Women’s Premier League),” Sunak said.
