Sunil Gavaskar, India cricketing legend, offered a heartfelt reflection on the tragic stampede that occurred outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 title celebration.
What should have been a happy occasion for the franchise and its supporters was marred by the sad event, which claimed 11 lives and injured hundreds more. Gavaskar called the incident "heartbreaking" and offered his "sincere condolences to those who lost their loved ones" in his Mid-Day column.
After almost two decades of sadness, the 75-year-old icon emphasized the emotional intensity RCB fans carried while acknowledging the pain behind the catastrophe.
“If RCB had won the Trophy in the first few years, there would not have been this outpouring of emotion as happened after the long wait of 18 years. Other teams have won, but their celebrations have been a lot less frenzied, maybe because their fans didn’t have to wait this long,” Gavaskar wrote in Mid-day.
According to Gavaskar, RCB's catchphrase, "Ee Saala Cup Namde" (This year, the cup is ours), has been more of a hindrance than an inspiration. Ironically, RCB played "some superb cricket" this year, when the tagline was less noticeable, and won all of their away games to set a new IPL record.
“All that those people wanted was a glimpse of the players who had given them so much joy… It was totally understandable for their joy to know no bounds. Haven’t we all been fans of someone before… maybe even touch them, maybe even get a quick photo with them?,” Gavaskar wrote.
Both RCB and the Karnataka State government have announced monetary compensation for the deceased and injured fans.