Former England football manager Gareth Southgate gave a passionate speech to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) players after their one-run loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2025. The match was the 53rd game of the season and was played on Sunday, May 4, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Actually, Southgate is having a great time with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as he travels with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise during his ongoing India tour. Recently, he sparked a wave of reactions among fans when they spotted him wearing the all-pink jersey of the Royals during their IPL 2025 match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Jaipur last Thursday.

In a video shared by IPL and Rajasthan Royals on their social media accounts, Southgate spoke about his youth and the Indian cricket players he used to watch. While with RR, he has been enjoying the IPL vibe, attending games with his family.

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“I’ve always been a fan of cricket. When I was a young kid, I used to watch Test matches all day long. I’m talking about the era of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, and players like that,” Southgate recalled. He also mentioned his meeting with England captain Ben Stokes, who spoke to the national football team last year.

𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙍𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮 🤝 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙍𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙨 ⚽🏏

Passion for cricket 👌

Former England football manager Gareth Southgate is soaking up the #TATAIPL experience with #RR 🩷
And more...#KKRvRR | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/doadVgHWnX

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 5, 2025

“Over the years, I got to know a lot of players when I was playing for England, and I knew many from the England team. Last year, Ben Stokes came and spoke to the England (football) team, and also with many of the coaches. You learn a lot from different sports,” he added.

Batting first, the hosts scored a strong 206/4. Andre Russell led the charge with an unbeaten 57 off 25 balls, hitting four fours and six sixes. In reply, RR struggled early, losing half their side for just 71 runs. However, captain Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer (29) added 92 runs off 48 balls for the sixth wicket.

Parag played a brilliant knock, scoring 95 off 45 balls, with six fours and eight sixes, but couldn't finish the job. Needing 22 runs in the final over, Shubham Dubey (25* off 14) fought hard, but RR fell just short, finishing at 205/8, losing by one run in a thrilling match.

Notably, the Royals have already been eliminated from the playoff race. They are currently in eighth place on the points table, with just six points from 12 matches.

Former England football manager Gareth Southgate will carry on his surprise Indian cricket tour after visiting the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) match at Eden Gardens tomorrow. His surprise visit earlier this week at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, during which he wore an RR jersey for their face-off against the Mumbai Indians, had already created a stir on social media.

The veteran football strategist, who led England to the semifinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and back-to-back European Championship finals in 2020 and 2024, looked very much involved when he watched the IPL match at Jaipur. Sitting next to Olympic medallist and BJP MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Southgate was observed intently watching the proceedings and cheering both teams which indicated a non-committal yet positive attitude towards the high-velocity nature of cricket.

Supporters were both amazed and fascinated by his appearance, with many guessing at a deeper cricket affiliation. Some even discovered a 2016 village cricket scorecard, where Southgate, after England's early Euro exit, was spotted playing for Yorkshire's Nidderdale League. That ancient tale, combined with his recent IPL 2025 appearances, suggests a long but secret love of the game.

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After Jaipur,  Southgate set to witness more IPL action 

Though his first-time IPL appearance concluded in disappointment for the Royals, who were eliminated from the playoff contention following a 100-run thrashing at the hands of Mumbai Indians, Southgate's sporting interest remained unfazed. His next trip to Eden Gardens one of the world's most famous cricket arenas promises another drama, particularly with both KKR and RR seeking vital points during the final leg of the league stage.

Southgate resigned as England manager in mid-2024 after a close loss to Spain in the Euro final.Sitting idle and with a clear love for sport, his tour of India is generating cross-sport admiration and even suggestions of possible collaborations on coaching, leadership, or sporting development.

Whether this is a portent of more serious engagement with cricket or just a post-retirement indulgence, Southgate's IPL tour has already won fans on two continents.