Gavaskar mourns Bengaluru stampede tragedy that killed 11, says ‘all that they wanted was a glimpse…’

Four days after the Bengaluru stampede that killed 11 people and injured 33 others, former India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar sent heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased. Mourning the death of 11 cricket fans outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, a day after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their maiden IPL title, Gavaskar condemned the whole episode, saying all those who tragically passed away were just there to have a glimpse of their superstars.

After narrowly beating the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad, RCB and their fans celebrated this monumental victory loudly all across, with the franchise even pushing for an unauthorised roadshow and celebration at the team stadium in Karnataka’s capital city the next day. That, however, was the beginning of a disastrous turnaround for the team and their fans, as almost a dozen people were suffocated to death during the celebration, turning it into a tragedy.

“What a tragedy! The loss of lives due to a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium is heartbreaking indeed. All that those people wanted was a glimpse of the players who had given them so much joy and happiness over the years, especially in the last two months. The IPL Trophy, which they kept hoping would be theirs every year but never did, was finally coming to them after a wait of 18 years," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid Day.

“It was totally understandable for their joy to know no bounds, and they wanted to show it to their heroes. Maybe even see them up close, maybe even touch them, maybe even get a quick photo with them. Haven’t we all been fans of someone before and perhaps still are and want to see them and have a brief hello and then perhaps a photo with them?” Gavaskar continued.

Meanwhile, the franchise and its management came under scrutiny for continuing with the celebrations inside the stadium despite what was happening outside. Although neither the team, management, nor the fans were aware of the mishap at the venue gate at the time of the celebration, upon learning about it, they cut short the whole event, with only team captain Rajat Patidar and star batter Virat Kohli delivering winning speeches to the fans in attendance.

For failing to stage an unplanned and impromptu victory celebration across the city, the RCB provided financial assistance of INR 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 supporters who died in the Bengaluru stampede.