Former England defender and national team coach Gareth Southgate has said that as a young kid, he used to watch a lot of Test cricket, during the times of Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, admitting to his love for the sport, as he goes around India with the Rajasthan Royals to soak in the atmosphere of the Indian Premier League. Southgate was in Kolkata on Sunday, May 4, in attendance at the Eden Gardens for the Rajasthan vs Kolkata Knight Riders game. He was seated in the C7 corporate box with his family. After his appearance in Rajasthan’s previous match against the Mumbai Indians in Jaipur, this was only the second time that Southgate has been spotted at an IPL game. “I have always been a fan of cricket. When I was a young kid, I used to watch Test matches all day long. I am going back to the era of Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar and players like that,” Southgate said while speaking to IPL. ???????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????? 🤝 ????????????????????????????’???? ???????????????????????? ⚽? 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 “Then over the years, I got to know a lot of the players when I was playing for England, and I knew a lot of the England team. Last year, Ben Stokes came and talked to the England team,” Southgate said. Meanwhile, the former England coach is just the fourth England boss to become a knight after Walter Winterbottom, 1966 World Cup-winning coach Alf Ramsey and Bobby Robson. Southgate was recognised for his services to football after leading England to a pair of runners-up finishes in the 2021 and 2024 European Championships. Southgate also took England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the quarter-finals of the 2022 edition, although he was unable to end the nation’s wait for a first major trophy since 1966. Rajasthan’s campaign, though, has come to an early end in IPL 2025. On Sunday, Andre Russell roared back to form with a blistering unbeaten half-century as Kolkata resisted Riyan Parag‘s brilliant 95 to edge out Rajasthan by one run in an Indian Premier League thriller.