Cricket

Neither Royal Challengers Bengaluru nor Virat Kohli could have imagined in their wildest dreams that their IPL victory parade would turn into a tragedy for Bengaluru’s cricket fans. Just a day after Kohli and RCB clinched the IPL title, ending a 17-year wait, everything seemed to be unfolding perfectly. The team arrived in Bengaluru from Ahmedabad, eager to share their joy with fans. Little did they know that within hours, their celebration would turn into a nightmare as a stampede erupted outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, tragically claiming 11 lives and injuring 33 others. Virat Kohli expressed grief on the Bengaluru tragedy(AFP) The tragic stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium cast a dark shadow over RCB’s IPL victory celebrations, drawing criticism for the team’s decision to proceed with the felicitation ceremony inside while chaos erupted outside. Harrowing videos of the incident, which claimed lives and left many injured, continue to circulate online. Upon realising the scale of the tragedy, RCB, including Kohli, promptly offered condolences. However, former India pacer Atul Wassan argues that the players should not be blamed. He was taken aback by the unprecedented hype surrounding RCB’s win, noting that none of the nine previous IPL-winning franchises had sparked such fervour. Wassan believes this frenzy, not the players, fuelled the madness in Bengaluru. “Yeah, so very sad, you know, it’s tragic what I heard, and it just transpired in front of my eyes because since last night after the match, I’ve been doing shows, and I saw that relief on Virat’s face and the kind of traction. I could see that, and he had made it clear in 2016 when he lost it that it was one of his worst moments. So I think the fans got into this. They bought into this story of Virat that it was such a big thing, and when Virat got it eventually with Anushka and all, that I think is when fans went crazy,” Wassan told ANI. Also Read: RCB shown no mercy, IPL champions shredded after stampede outside Chinnaswamy claims 11 lives; ‘Owner made big mistake’ “But what transpired later on in the morning with the motorcade and the kind of celebrations that over the time triggered over the over euphoria, which I could not believe. I was watching it and I was watching it as a public experiment, as a social experiment that how can a local franchise get so much hype. I was trying to analyse it because Virat has been with them for 18 years. He probably has got everything under the Sun, but he probably felt that because of his skin in the game – with this franchise, he thought that maybe he had to deliver it. So I think it’s just the Virat factor, the connect with Virat that the fans have got worldwide.” Also Read: ‘DISGRACED’: BCCI shocked but has ‘no role’ in Bengaluru stampede that caused deaths, injuries during RCB victory parade Wassan expressed disbelief at the exaggerated hype surrounding RCB’s IPL victory, comparing it to surpassing India’s World Cup triumph. He praised the IPL and franchises for their brilliant marketing, likening it to how American sports like the NFL or NBA overhype events as the “World Series”, despite being local competitions. Wassan argued that this inflated excitement, not politicians, triggered the mishap in Bengaluru, describing it as a nightmare come true. ‘Players not to be blamed’ Wassan further noted that rallying such a massive crowd would typically require significant expenses, like providing meals or gifts, but this was a spontaneous outpouring, offering free publicity for the franchises. With RCB’s win, Wassan believes they’ll increase rates for next year’s slots, as this kind of fan connection is priceless. He emphasised that the players weren’t to blame, as they were simply celebrating with fans who had supported them for 18 years, aiming to give back to their loyal base. “Virat was paying it back to the fans. I cannot believe in a million years that Virat – I have known him as a kid, as a person – knew that people are dying outside, and the felicitation was going inside. The politicians, I can believe, because they are ruthless, thick-skinned. They are mercenaries and as is the corporate, which is the RCB franchise. They don’t care because they have to show the balance sheets. They have to show revenue. They would have known so it was a lack of communication. By the time the players would have gotten to know, they didn’t have any say in it. If they did, they would have immediately walked out,” the former pacer mentioned.