Bangalore, September 3 – Superstar batsman Virat Kohli of India and Royal Challengers Bangalore has stated that the stampede that occurred on June 4 during the celebrations for winning the IPL title turned what could have been his team’s happiest day into a painful one after 11 people died.
After RCB won the IPL title for the first time in 18 years, a stampede broke out when 250,000 fans gathered at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate.
Kohli said on RCB’s X handle, “You never want to face such a heartbreaking incident. What should have been the happiest moment in our team’s history turned into a tragic event.”
He said, “I think and pray for the families who lost their loved ones and the fans who were injured. Your loss is now part of our story. We will move forward together with caution, respect, and responsibility.”
The official investigation into the incident reported that the cause of the chaos was a lack of proper approval and an excessive crowd, which surged due to invitations sent by the franchise on social media.
Police admitted that they had insufficient numbers to control the spectators, and the investigation held RCB responsible for encouraging fans to come in large numbers.
Following this, RCB announced compensation of 25 lakh rupees each to the families of the deceased and pledged to take meaningful action in their memory.
It also launched a foundation called “RCB Cares,” which has promised to work together with stadium authorities, sports bodies, and league partners to develop better crowd management protocols.
