Fact Check: Old, edited images VIRAL as Sunrisers owner crying after IPL knockout

Sunrisers Hyderabad got bowled out of the 2026 Indian Premier League on May 27 after losing to Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator by 47 runs. A video now going viral allegedly shows Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kavya Maran crying.

An X user shared the video with the caption, “Kavya Maran is crying. Finally, peaceful sleep for CSK fans and India lovers. #RRVSSRH #SRHVSRR. Ishan Kishan's celebration against CSK also cost him".

This is in reference to recent reports about Sunrisers player Ishan Kishan mocking Chennai Super Kings fans while celebrating a win against the team.

A photo of Kavya Maran in tears is also being widely shared. An X user posted it with the caption, "Rajasthan Royals took the revenge from Kavya Maran for buying Abrar Ahmed".

The backstory here is that Sunrisers faced backlash in March after signing Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmad.

News outlets like NTV Telugu shared the photo as Kavya Maran’s emotional reaction to the outcome of the recent match.

India Today Fact Check found that the viral video dates back to 2024, when Kavya Maran was spotted crying after the Sunrisers’ defeat in the IPL final. The photo is edited.

OUR PROBE

A reverse search of the viral video’s frames led us to a May 27, 2024, report by The Hindustan Times. According to it, the video showed Kavya Maran crying after the Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 Indian Premier League final.

After the match, Maran applauded the Knight Riders. However, she then turned around and was seen in tears. Multiple news outlets included this video in their reports about the match at the time.

We reverse-searched the viral photo of Kavya Maran crying. We found that it was created by altering an image of her interacting with the Sunrisers’ spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan and other players.

There are several apps and online editing tools that can alter an image to change someone’s facial expression. Some such applications, like FaceApp, have ready-made filters for laughing and crying. In 2023, during the wrestlers’ protest, Sangita and Vinesh Phogat were maliciously shown smiling in police detention using a similar technique. You can read India Today Fact Check’s report about it here.

Thus, it’s clear that the visuals of Kavya Maran crying are old and edited.