The elation surrounding Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL victory was tragically overshadowed on Wednesday by a deadly stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, claiming 11 lives. The incident, which left India cricketer Virat Kohli “absolutely gutted,” occurred as thousands congregated to catch a glimpse of their beloved team celebrating their maiden title.
The pandemonium erupted as a crowd, nearly triple the initial estimate, amassed outside the stadium and at Vidhana Soudha. A senior police officer, speaking anonymously to a news portal, attributed the chaos to the public’s disregard for advisories. “People did not heed our advisories or the repeated public announcements asking them to disperse. They were determined to reach the venue no matter what,” the official stated.
Virat Kohli, visibly shaken, took to social media to express his profound sorrow, writing, “At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted,” as he reshared an official statement from RCB.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia extended his condolences to the victims’ families while strongly criticizing the event organizers. “It is very unfortunate. This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured,” Saikia told news agency PTI. He further lamented, “When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere. After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti-climax.”
The RCB squad had arrived in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning, first visiting Vidhana Soudha for a felicitation by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. They then proceeded to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where fans had gathered for a musical performance before players, including RCB captain Rajat Patidar and Kohli, addressed the crowd.
