Pro-Virat Kohli crowd in IPL final: PBKS coach ready for tough battle in Ahmedabad
Punjab Kings' fast-bowling coach James Hopes is bracing for a high-pressure final in Ahmedabad, where his team will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in front of what he anticipates will be a highly partisan atmosphere led by Virat Kohli's massive fan base.Speaking after Punjab's five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2, which sealed their place in the IPL 2025 final, Hopes said the focus now shifts to recovery and mental readiness for the title clash on Tuesday.advertisement"It's just a short turn around for us, we've finished at 2 am, which is pretty late, so tomorrow will be just about the guys recovering and getting mentally prepared for what I imagine is going to be a pretty big crowd and a pretty big pro Kohli crowd as well," Hopes told reporters.
Hopes noted that Punjab Kings had been building towards this moment over the past few months, aiming not just to compete but to claim their maiden IPL title.PBKS vs MI Qualifier 2: Highlights | Scorecard"We'd been setting ourselves up for a couple of months the way that we were playing not to come third. We wanted to be in there with the chance to come first and we've given ourselves that chance now," he said.advertisementAfter falling short in Qualifier 1, Shreyas Iyer and his side bounced back emphatically, dismantling the five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Iyer led from the front with a stunning unbeaten 87 off 41 balls, laced with eight sixes and five fours - a knock that tilted the contest decisively in Punjab's favour.Hopes lauded Iyer's leadership, describing the batter as a "sensational captain" who remains calm under pressure and makes sharp tactical decisions."He's calm, doesn't get flustered very easily and he knows his matchups. He knows what he has to do at certain times and he's prepared to take that," Hopes said.Reflecting on Iyer's evolution as a batter, the former Australian all-rounder added: "When he was a younger player in Delhi (Capitals), he was a little bit more explosive and gung-ho, but he scores at a high strike right now strictly because he knows when a bowler comes on, that's his matchup and he's going to take it (on)."Hopes also credited Iyer's captaincy for restricting Mumbai to a manageable total despite their threatening start."With his captaincy, tonight, we kept them to 200 (203/6), but I reckon they could have got 220 or 230 and just because the way he pulls the strings out there and manoeuvred (the) bowlers around," he said.Tuesday's final will crown a new champion regardless of the result, as neither Punjab Kings nor Royal Challengers Bengaluru has lifted the IPL trophy before. But in a stadium packed with fans hoping to see Kohli break his title drought, PBKS know they will need to overcome more than just the eleven players on the field.Tune In
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Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
11 dead in stampede at RCB's IPL victory celebrations in Bengaluru
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team's IPL victory celebrations event in Bengaluru on Wednesday turned into a major tragedy with at least 11 persons confirmed dead and about 47 persons injured in a stampede outside of Chinnaswamy Stadium near Vidhana Soudha. As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led the first round of felicitation of the RCB stars on the steps of Vidhana Soudha, trouble was brewing close by which the administration failed to anticipate. Crowds had swelled outside of the stadium with little or no control on the movement of people. It looked like a sea of humanity with hundreds of thousands of people over a kilometre or two. The joy and loud cheers of ecstatic cricket fans that began Tuesday night after the team lifted the cup continued well into Wednesday and reached its peak soon after the RCB players landed in Bengaluru. The day began with a series of confusion over the type of reception the team members must get. The official event on the Vidhana Soudha steps went off peacefully with the police and administration giving maximum attention at the site in view of the presence of the CM, ministers and other dignitaries. The subsequent reception, organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), was at the stadium. Eyewitnesses said it was free for all as crowds surged in massive numbers on roads leading to the stadium gates. With an overworked policemen split between Vidhana Soudha and the stadium, they could barely control the alarming surge in numbers leading to stampedes at many places. 'Several fans were already being crushed under the feet of other people around the same time the official felicitation was going on,' one person said. Live Events Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the mishap in Bengaluru was 'absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery.' Probe ordered, Rs 10 lakh for families of deceased The Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 people who lost their lives and free medical treatment for the injured. 'a moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow,' he said while condoling the death of people. Most of the deceased are youth, he said at a media conference, while adding that around 2-3 lakh people had gathered at the stadium and another one lakh at Vidhana Souhda. The CM also ordered a magisterial probe the report of which would be available in two weeks, he said. 'Precautionary measures were taken by not allowing a victory parade, but the crowd surge near the stadium led to this tragedy,' he said. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said they wrapped up the official reception event at Vidhana Soudha in 10 minutes to help crowds disperse faster and to prevent congestion. The fact that the IPL victory came after 18 long years of wait added to the excitement of boisterous cricket fans who choked out the roads leading to the stadium gates to have a glimpse of their favourite stars at public events. People could barely move around though the police made repeated announcements to leave for safety. As people jostled and elbowed out against each other, many just got squeezed and gave up. There were scenes of people trying to revive those struggling to breathe, and several shifted to nearby hospitals. Citizens attacked the government for a lack of planning and for permitting the mega event so close to the day of victory as fans had gone crazy. Some felt the stadium event could have taken place after a day or two after a sense of calm settled.
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
11 dead in Bengaluru stampede as RCB's moment of celebration is marred by poor planning, last-minute changes
Behind Wednesday's stampede in Bengaluru, which occurred as thousands gathered to celebrate the IPL victory of Royal Challengers Bangalore, lies an apparent lack of planning, an underestimation of the number of fans who would gather, and confusion over the free passes available to allow entry to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Eleven people died and 47 were injured in the stampede. Celebrations began on Tuesday night itself, when thousands took to Bengaluru's streets to mark the team's first win in its 18-year history. The largest gatherings were observed in and around MG Road, Church Street, and some locations in the Central Business District. On Wednesday morning, the team's management announced that they would hold a victory parade in an open bus from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, roughly 1 km away, before an event at the stadium for which limited free passes would be available online. At 11:56 am on Wednesday, however, the traffic police announced that there would be no victory parade. Around 1:30 pm, the RCB team arrived at HAL airport and took a bus to the hotel before proceeding to Vidhana Soudha. By then, thousands had gathered around the Vidhana Soudha, where Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was scheduled to felicitate the team. Some in the crowd climbed trees, while others found a way to the top of the Karnataka High Court building. Simultaneously, the crowd swell near the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium. Around this time, the Namma Metro announced that the trains would not stop at Cubbon Park and Dr BR Ambedkar stations due to the heavy footfall. According to the police, by 3 pm, around 50,000 people were within a 1-kilometre radius, and the number was only rising. According to officials investigating the incident, the crowd expected that after the felicitation, the open bus would head towards the stadium. As many did not have tickets to enter the venue, they hoped they would at least catch a glimpse of the cricket stars on the bus, unaware that the victory parade had been cancelled. When the team did leave for the stadium, it was in a closed bus. Tragedy struck around 4:45 pm, when Gate 1 of the stadium partially opened and a crowd, comprising both ticket holders and those without tickets, attempted to swarm into the premises. Inayath, a resident of Lingarajapuram and an eyewitness to the incident, said, 'Everyone just flooded in. In the chaos, some people fell on the ground. There was nobody to control the crowd or offer help.' Mahesh, another eyewitness, said people were falling on top of each other. 'Immediately, we formed a human chain around those who were on the ground so that they could get up. A woman was given CPR and wheeled into an ambulance,' he said. CM Siddaramaiah also indicated that the government had severely underestimated the number of people who would turn up for the celebrations. There were around 2-3 lakh people on the streets, including 1 lakh near the Vidhana Soudha, he said. 'We, or the Karnataka State Cricket Association, did not expect such a huge crowd. The stadium capacity is around 35,000. We anticipated that there would be a little more than that,' he said. Most of the dead are young men and women. The government has promised compensation of Rs 10 lakh to their families. One of the bodies was as that of Devyamshi (14). A resident of Kanur, she had come to the venue with her mother, younger sister, and other family members. 'I lost my granddaughter,' said the girl's grandmother outside the mortuary of Bowring Hospital. In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, 'The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery.' MP and former CM H D Kumaraswamy said, 'The primary reason for this massive tragedy is the lack of proper planning and complete failure to take precautionary measures. The state government, led by the Congress, must take full responsibility for this disaster.' Sanath Prasad is a senior sub-editor and reporter with the Bengaluru bureau of Indian Express. He covers education, transport, infrastructure and trends and issues integral to Bengaluru. He holds more than two years of reporting experience in Karnataka. His major works include the impact of Hijab ban on Muslim girls in Karnataka, tracing the lives of the victims of Kerala cannibalism, exploring the trends in dairy market of Karnataka in the aftermath of Amul-Nandini controversy, and Karnataka State Elections among others. If he is not writing, he keeps himself engaged with badminton, swimming, and loves exploring. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
25 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
The RCB success story: All method and a dose of luck
Ahmedabad: T20 cricket and endurance may sound paradoxical, but no IPL title is won without being ready for a long haul. More so when you throw in numerous complexities, from player availability, form and fitness with many of them punishing their bodies with all-format workloads. Add the unexpected momentum-breaker due to the week-long suspension this year, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) should be truly proud of their winning campaign. If 2024 was their turnaround season where they conjured up magic with a string of late wins to make the playoffs, this year was one of absolute dominance. Salt-Kohli partnership The signs were there in the very first game against Kolkata Knight Riders when Phil Salt's aggression (SR 180) allowed Virat Kohli (SR 163) to ease into his innings. Show intent but play strokes where he could hold his shape. It's a template the two openers maintained for the rest of the tournament, except for a brief spell when Salt was unwell and young English batter Jacob Bethell replaced him. The secret to Kohli's T20 longevity has revolved around the maverick players who have batted around him. It was Chris Gayle and AB de Villers in the past. To his credit, Salt's 403 runs (SR 176) to Kohli's 657 runs (SR 145) was just the ideal mix RCB sought from their openers. Josh Hazlewood At ₹12.5 crore, Josh Hazlewood was their most expensive auction pick. The Australia pacer set an early marker that the onus was on him to make the high impact performances. Not just in the big final where he troubled Punjab Kings openers in the Powerplay, throughout the tournament Hazlewood would bang it short of good length, extracting seam movement to become the middle overs enforcer. On days when the pitch was flat, he would be the first to spread the word in the bowling group that it was a day to use more mix-ups. Towards the end of the league phase when Hazlewood wasn't available, twice in a row RCB were taken for 200-plus totals – Ishan Kishan (94 - 48b) did the damage for SRH and Rishabh Pant (118 - 61b) for LSG. It showed how central the tall Aussie was to their bowling efforts in the season. Jitesh Sharma But what defined RCB's spirited season was how they always found someone to stand up to reverse the tide. In reply to Pant's explosive innings, Jitesh Sharma (85 - 33b) played the innings of his life. The wicket-keeper bat would play immense shots under pressure, unlocking a gear even he didn't know he possessed. His filling the big boots of Dinesh Karthik the finisher with a little help from Karthik the coach was one of the storylines of RCB's campaign. Rajat Patidar The RCB captain would have liked to be more consistent, but in many matches, he was the spin-hitter with his usual sparkle. Take the early match against KKR's quality spin attack and how his cameo eased the pressure in the middle overs. Most importantly, Patidar the batter at no stage was weighed down by the high-profile job of leading RCB. 'You can't underestimate the calmness he showed in leading some really big players, a really big franchise, making good decisions out there in the middle under the pressure that RCB players play under,' head coach Andy Flower said. 'Injury replacement to IPL-winning captain, bloody hell, that's a turnaround,' as Kohli said in a RCB video. Krunal Pandya Few would have predicted that Krunal Pandya, the left-arm spinner with a penchant for the surprise bouncer and round-arm deliveries, would become RCB's second highest wicket-taker – 17 to Hazlewood's 22. Be it the four-for against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede or the miserly 2/17 in the final at Ahmedabad, Krunal this year was willing to give the ball air every time conditions allowed. Although it wasn't his best season with the bat, when everyone else failed against DC, he held his own with 73*. Experience is not bought in the supermarket, goes the saying, but if you think of the auction as a marketplace, RCB did the smart bidding. Destiny Sporting conquests are incomplete without a bit of luck. If not for the forced break due to the India-Pakistan conflict, Hazlewood wouldn't have got the time to recover from a niggle. Also Patidar, who had a hand injury. Jitesh led in Patidar's absence. How can any RCB fan not believe in providence? Not after 17 failed attempts. The RCB story was a lot of method, and a dose of luck too.
