• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Deadly Welcome India Great Lambasts Fans And Rcb Management For Stampede

"Deadly Welcome": India Great Lambasts Fans And RCB Management For Stampede

Soumyajit Dutta

Syed Kirmani on Bengaluru stampede [Source: @indianowme/X]Syed Kirmani on Bengaluru stampede [Source: @indianowme/X]

A tragic stampede during victory celebrations for the newly crowned IPL champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), resulted in the deaths of 11 fans at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The incident occurred when massive, unmanageable crowds gathered for an event organised jointly by the RCB management and the Karnataka state government, overwhelming local authorities.

Kirmani Digs Reason Behind Stampede

Former Indian cricket legend and 1983 World Cup winner Syed Kirmani expressed deep sorrow over the fatalities, extending his sympathies to the families affected. He reflected on the stark contrast in fan culture between eras, as quoted by TOI from India Today.

"My condolences to bereaved families. This was a deadly welcome to IPL champions. In our times, there was no such media hype and there was no TV and there was no such thing which could lead to such things," Kirmani said.

Kirmani, who played 88 Tests for India, suggested the celebration could have been delayed for better planning. "On that count I suppose if RCB waited for 17 (18) years to become champions and organisers whosoever it may be could have waited for a while for things to settle down and then organise a show to felicitate these great heroes of RCB."

Kirmani also questioned the intense focus on the IPL compared to domestic cricket, noting the evolution of fandom. 

"The fans of our times were not as crazy as fans of today and especially in the IPL, the crazy fans are unimaginable particularly as you could see lakhs and lakhs were around just to get a glimpse of these great heroes," Kirmani added. 

Kirmani pondered whether a potential Ranji Trophy win for Karnataka would generate similar fervour. Nevertheless, RCB star Virat Kohli also shared his grief on social media regarding this tragedy as BCCI is ready to investigate on the failed management during the parade.