Ambati Rayudu backs RCB: Time for great city of Bengaluru to win IPL 2025
Former India and Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu broke character by backing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings. Rayudu highlighted the intense rivalry among South Indian teams in Indian cricket and expressed his desire to see RCB, representing Bengaluru, go all the way at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.Both RCB and PBKS will be bidding to end their 18-year wait for the elusive IPL title, which has remained out of reach since the tournament's inception. RCB have reached the final three times in the past but have never managed to bring the trophy home. IPL 2025 Final: Updates | Weather Updatesadvertisement"There has always been an amazing cricketing rivalry between the three great southern cities... I think it's time for the great city of Bangalore to win their first ever IPL trophy tonight, which they truly deserve this season... Go RCB... bring it home," Rayudu said in his post on X.
It came as a surprise to see Rayudu, a staunch CSK loyalist, support RCB ahead of the big final. In the past, he has been critical of RCB and their overreliance on Virat Kohli. After RCB reached the playoffs by beating CSK in a thriller at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2024, Rayudu had lashed out at the Bengaluru-based side for celebrating prematurely.However, in IPL 2025, Rayudu has been appreciative of RCB's bold and refreshed approach. The former finalists stormed into the playoffs, finishing in the top two of the points table.advertisementRCB hammered Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 in Mullanpur, bowling out Shreyas Iyer's men for 101 — the second-lowest total in IPL playoff history. RCB chased down the target in just 10 overs, powered by a quick-fire fifty from Phil Salt.The England opener is expected to be available for the grand final on Tuesday, having reportedly returned from a brief trip to the UK to be with his family.All eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who is set to feature in his fourth IPL final. The former captain endured heartbreak in the 2016 final, losing to SunRisers Hyderabad despite scoring a record-breaking 973 runs that season — a feat unmatched, yet without the trophy to show for it.Stay updated on IPL 2025 with India Today! Get match schedules, team squads, live score, and the latest IPL points table for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Plus, keep track of the top contenders for the IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap. Don't miss a moment! You May Also Like
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Hindustan Times
6 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
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Did I or the Karnataka government criticise?' Karnataka CM was talking about the recent stampede at Maha Kumbh mela in BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh that claimed the lives at least 30 people. Also read | Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka high court takes suo motu cognisance, to hear matter today Explaining what led to the stampede at Chinaswamy stadium, he said, 'The match happened last evening (Tuesday), and today (Wednesday) this event was organised by the cricket association. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came.' 'There were over 1.5 lakh people at the gates, banging and eventually breaking through in some places. The attempt to enter the stadium resulted in the stampede.' He added, 'There are small gates. The people entered through the gates. They have also broken the gates, so a stampede has taken place. Prima facie, it looks like that. I am not saying that nothing has happened. The inquiry will bring out facts.' BJP MP Tejasvi Surya criticised the Congress-led state government, accusing it of turning the celebration into a political spectacle without adequate preparation. 'The stampede was completely avoidable. It was state-orchestrated,' Surya said, alleging that an open invitation by CM Siddaramaiah on social media triggered an uncontrollable flood of fans without proper crowd and security measures in place. Also read | Bengaluru stampede: What led to deadly crush at RCB's IPL victory event? 'You cannot blame RCB, Virat Kohli, or even the fans. If there is anyone responsible, it is the CM and the deputy CM who wanted to hog undeserving limelight and made this an entire family function of the Congress leaders.' He questioned the value of the magisterial inquiry, 'Keep this 15-day report yourself in your house. Who cares? Will this 15-day magisterial report help these families?' Surya also appealed to the RCB management: 'It is the moral responsibility of RCB to also generously compensate the victims of this stampede. RCB and RCB's superstar cricketers have made hundreds of crores from the love of fans... now it is time for RCB to also be in terms of distress and challenge with the fans and their families.' Union minister HD Kumaraswamy blamed deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar directly. 'The person responsible for this tragedy must be immediately sacked from the cabinet,' he declared from New Delhi. Slamming the Congress-led administration, Kumaraswamy said, 'We have a Chief Minister who is completely inactive. He has no control over the Deputy CM... The Congress government is being run by arrogant fools.' The Board of Control for Cricket in India, meanwhile, denied any role in organising the event. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said, 'We had no information that such an event was being planned... If such events are planned in the future, then proper arrangements should be made.' "We express condolences to the families of the deceased. A title win was to be celebrated; rather, the loss of lives is being mourned," Dhumal added. Rejecting accusations, he asked, 'How can we be held responsible? Have you seen any IPL officials at the gate, managing the crowd?' BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia added, 'There were some lapses. The BCCI has no role in it. But it's a lesson to learn.' The Bengaluru police conceded that they were overwhelmed. 'The crowd was beyond our control,' a senior officer told HT on condition of anonymity. Police said around 50,000 people packed a one-kilometre radius near the stadium. Narrow gates and mass pressure triggered the deadly crush. 'We had to resort to a lathi charge at some points... the pressure of the crowd caused the tragedy,' said the officer. Fans had started gathering as early as afternoon, climbing trees, scaling cars and walls, and screaming 'RCB! RCB!' in desperation for a glimpse of the players. While some had tickets, others with free passes reportedly forced their way in, contributing to the chaos. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar promised a detailed probe and claimed, 'We want to know the facts and give a clear message.' He also countered the BJP's attack, 'BJP is doing politics... We are very sorry for the incident. We will work out a better solution in the future.' The state cancelled all government events, including World Environment Day celebrations, in a show of mourning. Reiterating Siddaramaiah's sentiments, he said, 'We never expected such a big crowd. The stadium's capacity is 35,000, but over 3 lakh people were there. Gates have been broken. We apologise for this incident.' However, he defended the police force's efforts, saying, 'I should compliment my Police officers... they guided us not to bring a vehicle procession from the airport... we were very cautious at Vidhana Soudha too.' The tragedy unfolded rapidly on Wednesday afternoon as thousands of RCB fans thronged the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the team's IPL victory celebration.
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United News of India
9 minutes ago
- United News of India
Stampede deaths a defining image of a callous govt: HDK holds DKS responsible
New Delhi, June 5 (UNI) Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is also the president of the Karnataka State Janata Dal (Secular), has hit out at the Congress-led administration over the stampede deaths at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, describing the tragedy as the 'defining image of a callous and self-obsessed government.' Kumaraswamy held Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar personally responsible for the tragedy that claimed 11 lives during RCB's homecoming parade, accusing him of poor judgement, and a dangerous obsession with personal glorification. The Union Minister demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah immediately dismiss his deputy from the cabinet. Addressing the media late Wednesday night from his official residence in New Delhi, Kumaraswamy denounced the state's top leadership as 'arrogant,' alleging that the Chief Minister had completely lost control over his government. 'The CM is inactive, the Home Minister is a puppet, and the Deputy CM runs amok,' he said. Kumaraswamy slammed the hasty organisation of two parallel celebration events — one near Vidhana Soudha and the other at the stadium — questioning the motive behind such urgency. 'The team won the IPL on Tuesday night. Why the mad rush for a felicitation the next morning? Who received the team at the airport? Only Shivakumar and his loyalists. Was this the DK Shivakumar RCB team?' he said. He blamed the government's lack of coordination and security arrangements for the fatal crowd surge. 'Had there been one single, well-planned event with proper preparation, this disaster could have been avoided. Instead, it was a PR circus meant to showcase one man — and the fans paid the price,' Kumaraswamy said. Calling for a judicial inquiry into the incident, Kumaraswamy reiterated that if the Chief Minister had 'even a shred of accountability,' he must begin by sacking his deputy. UNI BDN ARN PRS
