‘Ee sala cup namde’: Canadian rapper Drake throws his weight behind RCB ahead of IPL Final. Here’s why

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are all set to face off against the Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad for the finals of IPL 2025. The anticipation for the penultimate clash of this season is palpable with fans on social media already predicting the winners and riding the flag for their favourite teams. 

However, an usual name in all this drama is Canadian rapper Drake who has hedged his bets with Virat Kohli’s franchise and also proclaimed the team’s viral slogan, ‘Ee sala cup namde’, (translating to “this year the cup is ours”).

Why is Drake supporting RCB? 

Ahead of the IPL 2025 Final, millions of dollars are being bet on everything from the outcome of the match to top scorers and even result of each delivery. 

Among those betting at the decision of this year’s IPL is Drake who revealed on Tuesday that he has bet $750k on RCB winning their first ever IPL title in Ahmedabad. If the Rajat Patidar-led franchise indeed manages to achieve that feat, Drake will stand to make $1.312 million. 

RCB vs PBKS clash today: 

RCB will be playing their 4th IPL Final on Sunday while Punjab Kings will be entering their 2nd ever Final and first one in over 10 years. While Kohli remains a fan favourite in India with even his worst critics admitting that the batter deserves to have one trophy under his belt, there is also rising support for Shreyas Iyer. 

Notably, Iyer had led Delhi Capitals to their first final in 2020 and led Kolkata Knight Riders to winning the prestigious trophy last year. However, despite his stellar leadership, Iyer was let go by KKR ahead of this year’s mega auction and the batter was purchased by PBKS for ₹26.75 crore – the second highest sum ever paid for a player. 

Iyer teamed up with Ricky Ponting at PBKS and the duo have managed to transform the franchise’s luck by bringing to the final with the victory against Mumba Indians in Eliminator clash.