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Virat Kohli gets elusive silverware, IPL champion RCB bags brand title
RCB's first IPL title adds brand momentum but experts say Kohli's brand value remains unchanged while PBKS under Iyer emerge as a serious branding contender
Vishal Menon New Delhi
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Moments after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were crowned Indian Premier League (IPL) champions for the first time, Virat Kohli's shoulders drooped and his eyes moistened, struggling to hold back the whirlwind of emotions bottled up for the past 18 years.
As tears trickled down the cricketing icon's cheeks, Ahmedabad, the venue of this year's IPL final, was a heady cauldron of noise and nostalgia.
RCB's hard-fought six-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) marked not just a long-awaited title but a personal coronation for Kohli – the franchise's heartbeat for nearly two decades.
This cathartic triumph could mark a
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Indian Express
8 minutes ago
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Bengaluru stampede: CM Siddaramaiah says he gave nod for RCB felicitation at Vidhana Soudha, denies links to stadium event
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is in the eye of a storm over the June 4 stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium in Bengaluru that killed 11 people, has distanced himself from the celebrations held at the stadium following the IPL championship victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Congress leader, however, acknowledged on Sunday that he had approved a felicitation for the cricket team on the portals of the Vidhana Soudha, the state government headquarters, and attended the event on the invitation of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Speaking in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah indicated that KSCA officials approached the state Department of Personnel and Administration (DPAR) for permission to conduct an event at which Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar would felicitate the RCB players at the Vidhana Soudha. 'The DPAR secretary was apprised of this, and granted permission. Of course, I was informed, and I said 'Give permission for the event at the Vidhana Soudha steps'. Has there been any incident on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha? Even the Governor of Karnataka attended the programme on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha,' Siddaramaiah said. The Congress government, which facing a suo motu case taken up by the Karnataka High Court over the 11 deaths in the stampede, has ordered a judicial inquiry, a magisterial inquiry, and a probe by the state CID into the incident. 'Nothing untoward happened at the Vidhana Soudha. The incidents happened at the stadium. Who arranged the programme at the stadium?' he asked. 'In regular course, they informed the DPAR secretary. I was informed by the chief secretary. She said, 'Let us do it'. She said the police had agreed and I said, 'Let us do it'. The KSCA secretary and treasurer came and invited me for the event. It was not a function organised by us but by them. They said the Governor has also been invited. So, I went to the event. I do not know beyond this. I was not invited to the event at the stadium.' He further added, 'The KSCA event was the responsibility of the police and the KSCA. The suspension of police officers was because they did not make proper arrangements. What has Sathyavathi (IAS officer and DPAR secretary) done wrong? Nothing happened at the Vidhana Soudha event.' 'This incident should not have happened. After I became the chief minister, no such incident had occurred. Prima facie, it is evident that this incident happened due to the mistakes of officials. We have taken action,' he said, adding, 'I have been pained by the incident. All are pained… The whole government is pained by the incident.' Siddaramaiah rejected the argument that the organisation of two back-to-back events – one at the Vidhana Soudha and the second at the Chinnaswamy stadium located within one km of each other – caused the stampede, and suggested that the Bengaluru police displayed 'dereliction of duty' in making arrangements for the stadium event. The Congress leader said, 'The question of the two events is different. The decision was to have the event outside the Vidhana Soudha, but the police made mistakes with respect to the other event (at the stadium). Who has to inform me about the bandobast for the events? It is the police. When we say the police, who does it imply in Bengaluru? It is the police commissioner. Did the police commissioner inform me about the arrangements?' 'The police have to inform the head of the government. The police have to say whether proper arrangements have been made in terms of security. They did not inform me. Is it not a serious thing?' the chief minister added. Regarding allegations by the Opposition, he said, 'We have not sacrificed the police commissioner. Five people have been suspended. The intelligence chief has been transferred. My political secretary Govindaraju has been removed. We have taken a series of actions.' Govindaraju is an MLC and sports administrator who reportedly influenced the decision-making with respect to the RCB victory celebrations. Siddaramaiah said, 'Why should the government be embarrassed when it has not committed a mistake? We have acted against those who committed errors. Did they provide resignations for the Kumbh Mela stampede tragedy, or when a bridge fell down a day after it was inaugurated? In the Kumbh Mela tragedy, over 50 people died, did anyone resign for it?'
India Today
9 minutes ago
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Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner issues summons to 45 in stadium stampede inquiry
The Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner has issued formal summons as part of the magistrate-level inquiry into the recent stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4. This marks a crucial step in the investigation which was ordered by the state government. Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesh, who is leading the probe, has sent notices to 45 individuals connected to the incident, including those injured in the stampede outside the summoned have been asked to appear before the Deputy Commissioner's court hall on June 11, between 11 am and 1.30 pm, to record their statements. The testimonies will form part of a broader investigation into the administrative and security lapses that may have contributed to the incident. The inquiry aims to establish accountability and determine the sequence of events that led to the crowd surge, which resulted in injuries and raised serious questions over crowd management at the Cubbon Park Police had earlier registered a case against the IPL cricket franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), citing various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had directed the police to arrest those allegedly responsible, citing prima facie lapses in planning and execution. advertisementOn June 6, the city police arrested RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale at Bengaluru airport while he was reportedly en route to Mumbai. Three staff members of DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited, the agency that organised the victory celebrations, were also detained by the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is facing widespread criticism over his government's handling of the stampede, on Sunday, stated that his administration had no role in the incident and the circumstances leading up to it. Expressing sorrow over the developments on June 4, he remarked that such events should not occur under any government. Brushing aside the criticism, Siddaramaiah said that the organisers should have managed the situation chaos unfolded outside the stadium during a public felicitation ceremony held in honour of the Indian Premier League 2025 winners, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. An estimated two to three lakh people gathered outside the venue, resulting in a stampede that left 11 people dead and several others injured. The incident sparked widespread outrage over crowd response to the mounting criticism, the state government took disciplinary action by suspending senior police officials, including the Police Commissioner, citing failures in maintaining order and public safety during the high-profile event. IN THIS STORY#Bengaluru#Karnataka
Indian Express
18 minutes ago
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The curious case of IPL sporting loyalties
Written by Vishal R Choradiya At the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which ended on June 3, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally laid their ghosts to rest. After nearly two decades of unfulfilled promise and perennial heartbreak, the team secured its maiden title, sending its long-suffering fan base into a frenzy. The celebrations spilled out into the streets of Bengaluru, culminating in a grand victory parade the next day, cheered on by hordes of ecstatic supporters. For those who have stood by the team through crushing defeats and elusive dreams, the triumph no doubt felt personal, almost like vindication. But this very intensity of emotion, this deeply felt bond between the team and its fans, begs a more probing question: What explains such unwavering loyalty, especially in a league as commercially constructed and geographically arbitrary as the IPL? To explore this, one must first acknowledge the peculiar structure of the IPL itself. Unlike traditional club sports rooted in local histories and communal memories, IPL teams are corporate franchises named after Indian cities or states, but rarely composed of individuals who hail from them. Players and coaching staff are shuffled around at auctions like assets, their affiliation to a team based more on monetary bids than regional connection. In the case of RCB, the incongruity is stark: Apart from symbolic gestures, like sporting the Kannada slogan 'Ee Sala Cup Namdu', there is precious little that ties the team to Bengaluru. Most players, past and present, have no connection to the city by birth, language, or residence. The team has never been a reflection of the city's cultural or sporting ecosystem — it is, rather, a brand operating under the city's name. This phenomenon is not unique to RCB. Every IPL franchise operates under a similar logic. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) — all trade on the symbolic capital of the cities they are named after, while fielding teams that, for the most part, have little organic relation to those places. The few exceptions — like M S Dhoni's association with CSK — are themselves the product of sustained marketing and narrative-building rather than any real civic affiliation. Dhoni is from Ranchi, after all, and Virat Kohli, the face of RCB for all 18 seasons, was born and raised in Delhi. That he has never played domestic cricket for Karnataka and does not reside in Bengaluru seems to matter little to fans for whom he has become synonymous with the city's cricketing hopes. One could argue that Kohli and others like him have 'adopted' their IPL cities in a broader, metaphorical sense — much like professionals who relocate to new cities and build new identities. But such reasoning only underscores the performative and constructed nature of these affiliations. The truth is that sporting loyalties in the IPL are shaped not by local rootedness but by a carefully curated spectacle, engineered to evoke belonging, pride, and passion. Franchise owners, marketing teams, and broadcasters collaborate to sell a version of regional identity that is palatable, entertaining, and above all, profitable. From this perspective, what fans are loyal to is not so much a 'team' in the traditional sense, but a franchise — a commercial enterprise that exists to generate returns for its investors. The only constants are the owners; players, support staff, and even team philosophies are ephemeral. Yet, fans invest emotionally as if these franchises represent enduring traditions or civic values. This dissonance, between the reality of corporate sport and the illusion of local identity, is both striking and troubling. It becomes more so when we consider the commodification of fan emotion. Through relentless advertising, cinematic teasers, anthems, merchandise, and high-voltage pre- and post-match programming, the IPL transforms cricket into a grand, immersive spectacle. Fans are not merely spectators but consumers, their attention monetised through ad revenues, brand endorsements, and fan engagement platforms. There is little room for critical thought or dispassionate appraisal. To question the basis of one's loyalty is to risk exclusion from the communal euphoria that the league thrives on. This is not just about entertainment; it is about power and profit. The league's structure leverages people's yearning for identity, community, and a sense of belonging, only to repackage and sell it back to them. The IPL trades on regional pride while remaining indifferent to the actual lived realities of the regions it invokes. The fan, in this economy, is both the product and the consumer — an avatar of what French philosopher Guy DeBord called the 'Society of the Spectacle', where images and appearances displace authentic relationships and experience. DeBord argued that in such a society, the spectacle is not merely a collection of images, but a social relation mediated by images. This describes the IPL perfectly: City names, team chants, and celebrity endorsements create a symbolic universe that feels intimate but is, in truth, transactional. The experience is real, but its foundations are manufactured. The joy of victory and the agony of defeat are deeply felt, but they are orchestrated within a system designed primarily for profit. To be clear, none of this is to begrudge fans their celebrations, nor to question the sincerity of their emotions. Joy, after all, is joy, however mediated. But in the heady afterglow of RCB's long-awaited triumph, it is worth asking what exactly we are celebrating. Is it a city's sporting victory, a vindication of fan faith, or simply the success of a well-executed brand strategy? Perhaps it is all of these at once. But if the IPL is to be more than a polished performance, if its fans are to be more than brand ambassadors, then a little critical reflection might be in order. Loyalty is a beautiful thing — but it need not be blind. The writer is an assistant professor with the Department of Professional Studies, Christ University, Bengaluru
