Kavya Maran during IPL matches [Source: @kirann_sai and @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]
Kavya Maran, the co-owner and CEO of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has finally opened up about something fans have been talking about for a while, her viral reactions during IPL matches that often become popular memes on social media.
Kavya, who is not from the entertainment or sports world, has surprisingly become one of the most recognized faces during the Indian Premier League (IPL). While most team owners stay behind the scenes, she is regularly seen in the stands, cheering passionately, often showing intense emotions with every run, wicket, or loss.
Kavya Maran Finally Addresses Her Viral IPL Match Reactions
Her expressions, whether of joy, tension, or disappointment are frequently caught on camera and quickly turned into internet memes.
In a recent interview with Fortune India as quoted by News18, Kavya spoke openly about it for the first time.
"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," she said in a chat with Fortune India.
She added that her emotional connection with the game comes from the heart.
"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," said Kavya.
Under Kavya’s leadership, SRH has had a mixed journey. The team won its only IPL title back in 2016. Since then, their performance has gone up and down. In 2023, they ended the season at the bottom of the table. But in 2024, they made a strong comeback, reaching the finals. In 2025, the team finished in the middle of the table with six wins out of 14 matches.
Apart from her role in the IPL, Kavya also manages the Sunrisers Eastern Cape team in South Africa’s SA20 league. That team has been more successful, winning the championship two years in a row (2023 and 2024) under the captaincy of Aiden Markram.
As for her financial background, Kavya Maran is estimated to have a personal net worth of around ₹409 crore. Her father, Kalanithi Maran, is the chairman of Sun TV Network and one of Tamil Nadu’s richest individuals, with a family fortune reportedly over ₹19,000 crore.
Sun TV Network owns SRH, having bought the franchise in 2012 after the previous team, Deccan Chargers, was removed.