The celebration of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) maiden IPL trophy win in Bengaluru turned into mourning when a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 others.
The heartbreaking incident happened when lakhs of fans took to the streets to celebrate the end of their favourite team’s 18-year-long title quest.
Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
Sunil Gavaskar, the cricket legend, expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.
He said that if RCB had won the trophy in the first few years, there might not have been such a huge crowd and frenzy of fans.
“The 18-year wait was too long for the fans. The slogan ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ had become a noose around RCB’s neck, but this time they quietly played brilliant cricket and became champions,”
RCB performed brilliantly in IPL 2025. Especially, they created a new record by winning every match played outside.
The enthusiasm of the fans was at its peak because their team finally won the trophy, which the people of Bangalore had been waiting for for two decades.
But there was a huge lapse in handling the crowd that came out for celebration. Mismanagement and lack of preparations in a short time turned this happiness into tragedy.
Gavaskar understood the passion of the fans and said,
“People just wanted to see their heroes. They wanted a selfie, a namaste or just a glimpse with the players who gave them so much happiness.”
He also expressed condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. RCB also announced a help of Rs 10 lakh each for the affected families.
Gavaskar also said that the prayers and support of RCB fans played a big role in this victory.
But this tragedy raised the question that why was there no better planning and security for such a big celebration?
The fans’ love and enthusiasm was natural, but now there is a need to take strict measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
This tragic incident put a black spot on RCB’s glittering trophy. Still, Gavaskar believes that it was the fans’ love and prayers that gave RCB this historic win.
