Former England football manager Gareth Southgate made a surprising appearance in India to watch the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The Rajasthan Royals hosted the Mumbai Indians in Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Thursday, May 1, which also featured English fast bowler Jofra Archer.
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Southgate was spotted wearing the pink RR jersey with the match dubbed as 'Pink Promise', an initiative for women's empowerment by the Jaipur-based franchise.
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Previously, Southgate was also spotted at one of England's Tests against Sri Lanka at the Lord's, in the 2024 English summer. Is the former English football manager also a cricket fan?
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See Southgate in the RR vs MI match below:
Gareth Southgate in a Rajasthan Royals jersey giving very "Polar bear in Arlington Texas" vibes pic.twitter.com/2RepSrFThK
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Why is Gareth Southgate in Jaipur to watch RR vs MI?
Southgate has previously expressed his love for cricket over the years and has spoken about his admiration and rising quality of the sport.
The English manager, who guided England to two runners-up finishes in the 2020 and 2024 Euros, stepped down from the managerial role after eight years in July 2024.
He had also guided his national team to reach the knockouts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
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The Royals, who now have Archer as one of the overseas stars from England, have previously also had big English names such as Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in their ranks.
Additionally, with no national team or club responsibility, it gives him a good opportunity to catch up with some exciting IPL cricket.
Previously, Southgate has also admitted he is a cricket fan. He was speaking at a press conference after England beat Malta 4-0, saying:
"I’m a big cricket fan and it’s something that is hugely exciting to watch at the moment. Their (England) mindset has been a big thing, but they’ve (Australia) also got a lot of world-class players. We’ve got quite a few players, I think would get in a World XI. So, the standard is also very good, but there’s definitely been this shift in how they’re playing."