Kavya Maran Addresses Viral IPL Reactions: "Cameramen Always Find Me"

Kavya Maran

Kavya Maran, CEO and co-owner of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has opened up about her widely circulated reactions during IPL matches, which have cemented her status as a prominent figure in internet memes. In a recent interview with Fortune India, Maran attributed her emotional responses to her deep personal investment in the team’s performance. She noted that broadcasters' cameras consistently capture these moments throughout the matches.

The daughter of Sun Group chairman Kalanithi Maran, Kavya Maran first captured public attention in 2023 during the IPL auction, where she spearheaded SRH's strategic decisions. Since then, her regular presence at SRH games and her expressive reactions to on-field events have become a fixture of social media content.

"Those are my raw emotions that you're seeing because my job has brought me to the point that I have to put myself out there. In Hyderabad, I can't do anything; I have to sit there. That's the only place I can sit. But even when I go to Ahmedabad or Chennai, and I'm sitting many feet away, somewhere in the box, the cameraman manages to find me. So, I understand how it becomes memes," Maran explained.

She further added, "When it comes to Sunrisers, I genuinely wear my heart on my sleeve. I think when you put your heart and soul into something, you naturally tend to get very personally attached to its successes and failures."

Under Maran's guidance, SRH has experienced a roller coaster of success in the Indian Premier League. The team's performance has seen considerable ups and downs across different seasons.

Despite assembling a team considered strong on paper, the franchise finished at the bottom of the points table in 2023. However, they bounced back remarkably in 2024, securing the second position in the league and making it to the final.

The 2025 season witnessed a mid-table finish for SRH, with the team winning six out of their fourteen matches, and their playoff aspirations were cut short relatively early in the tournament.

SRH's history includes one IPL championship, which they clinched in 2016. The team's journey under Kavya Maran's leadership has been characterized by both triumphs and setbacks.

Beyond the IPL, Maran also oversees the Sunrisers Eastern Cape franchise in South Africa's SA20 competition. This venture has been consistently successful, with the team winning the first two seasons in 2023 and 2024 under the captaincy of Aiden Markram.