Former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad opened their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign against Rajasthan Royals at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Tuesday (March 29)
However, more than Kane Williamson’s side, fans were excited to see the return of the original IPL ‘mystery girl’ Kaviya Maran to the stands to cheer for her team.
Luckily, Kaviya didn't disappoint her fans as she was spotted smiling and clapping for SRH when pacer Romario Shepherd dismissed RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the seventh over of the match.
Kaviya's reaction made the day of her fans as they took to Twitter to express their happiness. Check some of the reactions here:
The biggest reason for many to watch today's match! #KaviyaMaran
.#SRHvsRR #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/eW28n1p5Jv— Nirmal K (@nirmal_indian) March 29, 2022
Kavvu #KaviyaMaran #SRHvsRR | #SRH pic.twitter.com/pF0hKQgep6
— Aman #ThankYouCaptainCool (@sidheart_msdian) March 29, 2022
If someone ask me why SRH should win today the first reason i say
Make her happy @SunRisers @fc_sunrisers @OrangeArmyFans #kaviyamaran pic.twitter.com/ng96kMO1ZK
— Harish Kumar Matlapudi (@MatlapudiHarish) March 29, 2022
SRH Fans Assemble! #SRHvsRR #KaviyaMaran pic.twitter.com/tGYdS0eu2R
— Ankit (@ixooyo) March 29, 2022
Interestingly, Kaviya, the daughter of Sun Group owner Kalanidhi Maran and CEO of the SRH team, has been a regular fixture in most SRH matches over the last few years – both in India as well as the UAE.
Kaviya is a popular face among IPL fans and she has often been dubbed as 'national crush' by her supporters. Just her presence at the stadium is enough to get the internet talking.
Earlier, SRH skipper Williamson won the toss and opted to field first against Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals in an IPL 2022 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Tuesday.
Notably, SRH and RR have faced each other in 15 IPL matches, with the former side winning eight and Rajasthan winning seven. Since 2018, SRH had the upper hand by winning 5 matches and losing 3.
