RCB management breaks silence on Chinnaswamy stampede after IPL 2025 win: ‘Their stories become part of our history’

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted the much-awaited first IPL trophy in their franchise’s history this summer, as Rajat Patidar led the unit to a famous victory over Punjab Kings to end 18 years of waiting for the loyal Bengaluru fans. However, it is a victory and a moment that will always have a tragic edge follow it around, with the injuries and deaths caused in the subsequent trophy presentation back home in Bengaluru casting a dark cloud over the emotions and celebration of the triumph. RCB fans mill around the bus carrying the championship-winning team to the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.(PTI)

It is something that RCB as a franchise will have to contend with in the years to come, but still something that those in its positions of power do not want to hide from. Given that it was a tragedy that took the life of RCB supporters, the team feels a certain responsibility towards their memory and their families — a sentiment that was pushed forward by RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat.

In an interview with Cricbuzz, Bobat spoke about the tragedy that followed RCB’s win as a crush at and around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium spiralled out of control. “Cricket and the IPL is so much about passion and enjoyment, and one of our biggest motivators is our fans. We talked during the competition that we want to win it for our fans,” said Bobat regarding the sentiment that went behind the victory for the team and the city as a whole.

‘Their stories become a part of our history now…’

“They've been the patient ones. Some of us are new. These fans have waited 18 years, so we wanted to do it for them, and for some of them to have lost their lives just feels incredibly sad,” said Bobat. “We look forward to being able to recognise those people and their families. Their stories become a part of our history now.”

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RCB were criticised in part for relative silence surrounding the tragedy in its immediate wake, but given the significance that these lives will have on the team and the city as a whole, Bobat recognised that it is something that doesn’t have an immediate solution. Rather, it will become a part of the RCB story, something that settles into the fabric of the team’s identity, with memories of triumph being accompanied by a matching sense of grief.

“Every sports team has a history, and it has a heritage. What they've experienced becomes a part of our heritage and history, and we have to honour them,” said Bobat, recognising that there is a responsibility towards their fans that grows even more, as much because of their triumph in IPL 2025 but more so because of the shared loss felt in the days that followed.

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