The Crossbill Sports Desk
Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebrations.
The tragic incident, which took place a day after RCB’s historic Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 title win, claimed 11 lives and left 50 others injured.
Speaking to PTI on Thursday (June 5), Kapil Dev said he was deeply pained by the news and emphasized the need for restraint and responsibility during large public celebrations.
“I feel very bad about that. I think we have to learn from each other. Next time something like this (victory parade) happens, people should be more conscious. People do make a mistake,” said the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, considered one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history.
The cricket legend appealed to teams and event organisers to prioritize safety over festivities.
“Mistake should not be to that scale where you are having fun and you lose lives. In the future, if any team wins, keep it calm. Lives are more important than celebration. Let’s put it that way,” he added.
The tragedy occurred after RCB’s emotional title win on Tuesday, which ended an 18-year-long wait and sparked celebrations across Bengaluru.
The team’s announcement of a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy Stadium drew thousands of fans to the area. However, there was confusion regarding the parade throughout the day.
While Bengaluru traffic police issued an early advisory ruling out the parade due to crowd and traffic concerns, the franchise re-announced it at 3:14 PM on Wednesday through a post on social media platform X.
“RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST. Victory parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium. We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities, so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully. Free passes (limited entry) available on the website,” the statement read.
Later, the traffic police issued a revised advisory referring only to a felicitation ceremony in the evening, with no mention of a parade. Despite the confusion, a massive crowd gathered at the stadium, and the situation spiralled out of control when fans—many without passes—tried to force their way in, leading to a deadly stampede.
In response to the incident, RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association initially announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. On Thursday, the franchise increased the compensation amount to Rs 10 lakh per family and reiterated its anguish over the tragedy.
The tragic incident, which took place a day after RCB’s historic Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 title win, claimed 11 lives and left 50 others injured.
Speaking to PTI on Thursday (June 5), Kapil Dev said he was deeply pained by the news and emphasized the need for restraint and responsibility during large public celebrations.
“I feel very bad about that. I think we have to learn from each other. Next time something like this (victory parade) happens, people should be more conscious. People do make a mistake,” said the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, considered one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history.
The cricket legend appealed to teams and event organisers to prioritize safety over festivities.
“Mistake should not be to that scale where you are having fun and you lose lives. In the future, if any team wins, keep it calm. Lives are more important than celebration. Let’s put it that way,” he added.
The tragedy occurred after RCB’s emotional title win on Tuesday, which ended an 18-year-long wait and sparked celebrations across Bengaluru.
The team’s announcement of a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy Stadium drew thousands of fans to the area. However, there was confusion regarding the parade throughout the day.
While Bengaluru traffic police issued an early advisory ruling out the parade due to crowd and traffic concerns, the franchise re-announced it at 3:14 PM on Wednesday through a post on social media platform X.
“RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST. Victory parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium. We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities, so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully. Free passes (limited entry) available on the website,” the statement read.
Later, the traffic police issued a revised advisory referring only to a felicitation ceremony in the evening, with no mention of a parade. Despite the confusion, a massive crowd gathered at the stadium, and the situation spiralled out of control when fans—many without passes—tried to force their way in, leading to a deadly stampede.
In response to the incident, RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association initially announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. On Thursday, the franchise increased the compensation amount to Rs 10 lakh per family and reiterated its anguish over the tragedy.
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