Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic maiden IPL title win has been darkened by a heartbreaking tragedy that unfolded during their victory celebrations in Bengaluru. Following their triumph over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, RCB star Virat Kohli had announced a grand celebration in the city to honor fans who had waited years for this moment. However, what should have been a joyful occasion turned into a catastrophe outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
A stampede took place during the celebrations, leading to the death of 11 fans and injuring over 30 others. The incident has drawn criticism from the cricketing fraternity and the public alike. Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa, speaking on his YouTube channel, expressed his deep sorrow and frustration over the mishap, emphasizing that the team’s long-awaited victory would forever be associated with this tragic event.
“The joy of the win is sadly overshadowed by the lives lost,” Uthappa said. “The fans and players waited so long for this, but now it will always be remembered alongside this tragedy.”
In response to the loss of life, RCB announced a financial aid of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased. The team’s head of marketing and revenue, Nikhil Sosale, was arrested following the incident but was later granted interim bail on June 12, with the court instructing him to surrender his passport.
Uthappa, who is a native of Bengaluru, shared how deeply upset he was upon learning about the tragedy. “I was really angry and couldn’t even post anything online. I wanted to let that anger settle before speaking out,” he said.
He, along with several cricket analysts and former players like Madan Lal, criticized the haste with which the celebrations were organized. “They could have waited a day to plan it better. The city of Bengaluru deserved a well-thought-out celebration,” he added.
As someone who grew up in the city, Uthappa admitted that future RCB matches would always remind him of this tragedy. “Whenever RCB plays now, I will think of those families. It just hurts deeply,” he said, adding, “Planning such a massive event the next day was clearly a misjudgment.”
The incident has ignited a wider conversation about crowd control and event management during large-scale public gatherings, especially those involving major sports teams.
