Karnataka CM, Dy CM and many more celebrated with the RCB franchise on their IPL title win.
Former India pacer Atul Wassan has questioned whether Virat Kohli knew that people were dying outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in a stampede, all while RCB were celebrating their IPL 2025 win inside the venue.
The RCB IPL 2025 victory party in Bengaluru was converted into a nightmare on Wednesday as a massive stampede broke out outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, leaving 11 people dead and 33 injured.
As per Deccan Herald, over two lakh people gathered around the stadium gates to try to get in as the KSCA was handing out free tickets.
While celebrating their maiden IPL title inside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Wassan questioned Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players about their awareness of what was going on outside the stadium.
“I cannot believe in a million years that Virat Kohli knew that people were dying outside, and the felicitation was going inside," Wassan was quoted by ANI.
“The politicians, I can believe, because they’re ruthless, thick-skinned, and so is the corporate, which is the RCB franchise. The franchisees don’t care because they have to show the balance sheets, and they have to show revenue. They would have known, maybe. It was a lack of communication.
By the time Virat and the players would have got to know, they didn’t have any say in it. If Virat had known, he would have immediately walked out. I cannot believe that Virat knew and this has happened. But very sad, very tragic," he added.
In a statement, the RCB franchise expressed its "deep anguish”. According to Siddaramaiah, the chief minister of Karnataka state, who goes by just one name, the throng attempted to breach one of the stadium's gates in order to enter and join in the festivities.
"The crowd was very uncontrollable," Karnataka state deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar told reporters.