Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, were seen cheering for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the stands of the Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on Tuesday, during the final of the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against Punjab Kings on Tuesday.
“This is incredible, this is absolutely electric, this is my first time here, the crowd is incredible, I have never experienced cricket like this,” Rishi Sunak said while speaking to interviewers at the stadium after RCB’s batting concluded. Follow RCB vs PBKS live score here
Sunak earlier took to X and posted a selfie with his wife and captioned the post, “Let’s go @RCBTweets.”
RCB, who finished second in the group stage, reached the IPL final for the first time in 15 years with an imposing eight-wicket triumph in a lopsided Qualifier 1 against the table-toppers PBKS. Punjab then trounced Mumbai Indians to enter just its second IPL final.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 190/9 in 20 overs against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi stadium.
Rishi Sunak earlier in the day connected the return of cricket to the Olympics after a century-long hiatus to India’s growing global impact, while lauding the transformative abilities of the IPL and (Board of Control for Cricket in India) BCCI.
In a first for the sport since 1900, cricket has been added to the list of competitions of the 2028 Summer Olympics games slated to take place in Los Angeles.
“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,” PTI news agency quoted said Rishi Sunak as saying.
Rishi Sunak, known as an ardent cricket lover, added, “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).”
