RCB's IPL win: When joy turned to horror for Bengaluru fans
When Shamili left her home in India's Bengaluru city on Wednesday, it wasn't to see her favourite cricket team - she isn't even a fan of the game.But the buzz around the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB's) Indian Premier League victory parade - the home team won the tournament for the first time - had swept through the city like wildfire.Wearing an RCB jersey with "18 Virat" on the back - a nod to Virat Kohli, the city's favourite cricket icon - Shamili joined her sister and friends near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, looking forward to celebrations.What she didn't expect was to get caught in a terrifying crush.The victory parade turned deadly when surging crowds - far beyond what authorities expected - led to a horrific crush that killed 11 people and injured dozens more.Survivors like Shamili are now grappling with trauma, pain and a sense of disbelief after the celebration spiralled into catastrophe."I kept saying, 'let's go, let's go' - the crowd was getting out of control," Shamili recalled, sitting on a bed at the government-run Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital. "The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. People were walking over me. I thought I was going to die."She is not alone. Many who had come just to soak in the atmosphere - fans, families, curious onlookers - found themselves caught in a tide of bodies as crowds swelled beyond control.
Police had expected no more than 100,000 people. In reality, Karnataka's chief minister Siddaramaiah said, the crowd surged to 200,000-300,000. The stadium, with a capacity of 32,000, was overwhelmed long before the team arrived.Videos from before the crush showed people climbing trees and trying to scale the stadium walls. Haneef Mohammed, an engineering student, told BBC Hindi that he had no intention of going inside because he didn't have a pass or ticket."I was just standing and watching the crowds near the main gate. Suddenly, people started running all around and the police started hitting people with their lathis," he said.Police in India often wield lathis - long bamboo sticks - to try and control crowds.Mr Mohammed got hit on the head with a lathi and started bleeding. He says the police immediately arranged for a vehicle to take him to the hospital.The ages of the 11 victims range from 13 to 43 years.The youngest, Divyanshi, was a Class 9 student who had come to the stadium with her mother and other family members. Other victims include college students and a young tech worker who had come to the stadium with her colleagues.A doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity said that most of them were "brought dead to hospital" due to suffocation or broken ribs. The massive crowds had delayed ambulances getting to the site of the crush.
Even as chaos and panic ensued on the roads around the Chinnaswamy stadium, the RCB team went inside the stadium after being felicitated on the footsteps of the Vidhana Soudha - the seat of power in Karnataka - by the governor, chief minister and other ministers."They went on a victory lap around the stadium. Inside the stadium, there was no sign that anything had happened outside,'' said a young man who spoke on condition of anonymity.IPL chairman Arun Dhumal said he did not know who had planned the event in Bengaluru and that RCB officials inside the stadium were not aware of the crush until they got phone calls.In a statement on X, RCB said it was "deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents"."Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our programme and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration," it said."At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted," star player Kohli wrote on Instagram.But questions still remain over how and why the event was organised."Normally, the felicitation of a team should be done in a controlled environment. But here, there appeared to be no preparation," a relative of an injured person at the Bowring Hospital said.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a magisterial enquiry into the incident."A moment of joy has turned into sorrow," he said on Wednesday.Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Five things we learnt from England's West Indies ODI series victory
Almost before England closed out their ODI series victory over the West Indies in Taunton, attention had already turned to the upcoming one against India. Charlotte Edwards' tenure as England head coach had got off to the perfect start, but it was an expected win against a side depleted of standout names, aside from Hayley Matthews. After a five-hour rain delay in Somerset, England secured the whitewash victory by nine wickets, chasing down the amended 106 runs to win inside 11 overs with an experimental batting line-up. Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Edwards have enjoyed a flawless start to their new England roles, and Telegraph Sport takes a look at what can be ascertained from the win. Amy Jones looks cut out to solve opening problem In the first two one-day internationals, Edwards decided to change things up in the England batting order, choosing wicketkeeper Amy Jones to open alongside Tammy Beaumont. Jones responded to being moved up the order for the first time since 2019 by hitting her first century in international cricket – albeit she was dropped on 43 – making scores of 122 and 129. Previously Jones had been used further down the order and after a disappointing Ashes with the bat, during which she misjudged how many balls had been bowled – a costly decision that played a key part in England's defeat in Melbourne. But opening against the West Indies she has looked more comfortable with the role. Jones was not needed to bat in the first two T20 matches as England eased to victory, but she and Beaumont looked to have cemented their places at the top of the order for the longer white-ball format. Rewarding domestic performances pay off Em Arlott was awarded player of the match in only her second T20 international, taking three wickets and two catches on her first national call-up since 2022. Having been called up twice before, for a Test in 2021 and another red-ball game in 2022, she did not take to the field until the start of the T20 series against the West Indies. Emma Lamb and Alice Davidson-Richards were also recalled for the ODI series, being rewarded for their performances in domestic cricket, something that had been lacking in the previous regime. Edwards' decision to call up those who have performed in the domestic game has resonated with those not in the international set-up as well as – in the case of Arlott – providing match-winners to the international side. Linsey Smith or Sophie Ecclestone? Linsey Smith was brought in for Sophie Ecclestone, who was left out mainly because of a knee injury, although she recovered to play her first game for Lancashire the day the squad was announced. Since coming into the side, Smith has been a strong fielder and even better bowler, taking a five-wicket haul on her one-day international debut in Derby. Smith has been in and out of the England side since coming in as an additional spin option for the T20 World Cup in the autumn, but has played a significant role under Edwards so far. The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced that Ecclestone will take a break from all cricket, including domestically, because of injury and to prioritise her 'well-being', but it remains to be seen, even if she is fit, whether her previous exploits and standings would warrant an immediate return to the side, given Smith's recent success. Nat Sciver-Brunt as captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has overseen 3-0 T20 and ODI wins for her first series as captain, but has not really been tested. The West Indies, as expected, have not provided the most difficult challenge, therefore any tactical tweaks have not been called for. However, Sciver-Brunt does play a role in selecting the side, who have proven more than enough to beat the West Indies without breaking sweat, and given chances to the likes of Arlott and Smith who have made match-winning contributions. The real test is to come Arguably, had England played the West Indies last summer under the previous head coach, the outcome would have been the same. Matthews was exceptional in the first T20, but none of the other players made convincing contributions, and that has largely stayed the same throughout. India, who arrive for their first T20 on June 28, will be a much sterner test.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Six games, six wins - but what have England learned?
Charlotte Edwards was tasked with rebuilding England after a brutal Ashes drubbing which resulted in heavy criticism of the team's attitude, culture and on-field performances. The legendary former captain has started her era as head coach with a T20 and one-day international clean sweep over a depleted West Indies, but this was no surprise. Ultimately, Edwards and new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt could not have asked for an easier start to their tenure. Edwards' predecessor Jon Lewis also began his stint as head coach with a clean sweep over the Windies away from home, creating a sense of optimism and excitement before it all came crashing down with two disappointing T20 World Cup campaigns and the ill-fated Ashes to start this this series win comes with a word of caution - we have seen this one before. England have regularly dominated home bilateral series, and then crumbled on the big stage. Prior to this series, they had won 79.3% of their completed white-ball games at home since 2020, and that number rises to 87.8% when you take out Australia and are much tougher tests to come, starting with India's arrival in late June before the very challenging prospect of a 50-over World Cup in India at the end of September. World Cup-winning spinner Alex Hartley says that England are in a "good place" because of the dominant manner in which they have been winning, but has this series provided anything to suggest things will be different and whether the "new" England can finally perform under pressure when it matters? Will the Amy Jones experiment last? When she was appointed, Edwards made it clear that 50-over cricket would be her initial priority, saying that England needed a smarter gameplan and to improve their awareness, particularly with the first move was to promote wicketkeeper Amy Jones back to opener alongside Tammy Beaumont, a role she fulfilled in 22 matches between 2016 and certainly repaid Edwards' faith with a player of the series performance - scoring her first international hundred in her 246th match and then backing it up in the second game to finish with 251 runs at an average of 125.50 and impressive strike-rate of 114.61. But the challenge for Jones mirrors England's generally - can she step up against higher-quality opposition? Her average of 55.45 against West Indies is her highest against any team, but that drops to 16.33 against Australia and 19.66 against India. One aspect to consider is how teams may adapt to her success and how she'll fare in different conditions in India. How would Jones perform if a side was to start with spin against her for example?She averages 36.2 against spin and has a strike-rate of 82, both of which are more than 31-year-old has only faced 35 balls of spin in the 10-over powerplay but is yet to be dismissed. She can be a slow starter against spin though, being dismissed 10 times by a spinner in her first 30 balls and her strike-rate drops to 78. Her record with Beaumont suggests they are a natural fit for the top-order rebuild which was needed after Maia Bouchier's misery in Australia where she averaged six. Jones and Beaumont are England's third-most successful ODI partnership, scoring 1,786 runs together in 30 innings while their average of 63.8 is comfortably the highest in the current team. Heather Knight and Sciver-Brunt are behind them with 42.8. Matthews' class stands apart Though West Indies generally offered England very little challenge, the most effective way of judging where they are at as a team is to see how they fared against one of the world's best players in Hayley Matthews. Without fellow all-rounders Deandra Dottin or Chinelle Henry in the squad, West Indies' hopes relied solely on their captain and more often than not, she keeps them afloat. And it is cause for concern that England have not performed well against the one player who can consistently put their bowlers under the pump and provide a significant contest. Matthews missed the second and third ODIs with a shoulder problem, having made a fluent 48 and taken 2-49 in the first, but was magnificent in the T20s. She scored a sparkling century in a total of 146 in the opener at Canterbury, fell cheaply in the second at Hove before scoring 71 and taking 3-32 in the third at India, there are plenty of players capable of such performances - Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur to name a few. It will not be the same case of taking one wicket to define a game, and Matthews' efforts suggest this is a challenge they are desperately in need of."I think we've probably created it ourselves in many ways," Edwards said when asked about whether her side had been put under any pressure during the series. "Competition for selection in county cricket, going into county cricket and having to perform, and then obviously within this side now, making sure they are taking the opportunities." Smith, Ecclestone or both? The world's number one-ranked bowler Sophie Ecclestone made headlines during the Ashes after her refusal to do a pre-match interview with former team-mate Alex Hartley, who had criticised England's fitness after their T20 World Cup exit. The 26-year-old was left out for the West Indies series as part of her recovery from a knee injury, but has since played two 50-over matches and six T20s for Lancashire, and England insisted her omission was not in relation to the winter's controversy. She has since taken a break from domestic cricket to prioritise her wellbeing and to manage a quad problem, but remains available for selection for the India her absence, however, fellow left-arm spinner Linsey Smith has shone with seven wickets in two matches including a five-wicket haul on her ODI debut which has left Edwards with a pretty significant selection headache, but a luxurious one. There is no reason why England could not play two left-arm spinners, particularly given they offer such different attributes. Ecclestone's height generates a lot more bounce, while Smith is skiddier and her strength comes from her accuracy. In the two ODIs she played, Smith would have hit the stumps with a series-high 45.8% of deliveries and her economy rate of 3.15 runs per over was comfortably the lowest. England's spin trio of Ecclestone, off-spinner Charlie Dean and leg-spinner Sarah Glenn have played together 25 times in T20s but only twice in ODIs. The World Cup in India, though, could provide further opportunity for Smith when she has previously been kept out of the side because of Ecclestone's brilliance standing in her called for greater competition for places, after accusations of complacency followed the Ashes, and this has immediately been delivered and gives even more significance to the upcoming games against India. She hinted post-series that all four of Ecclestone, Smith, Glenn and Dean could go to the World Cup. Has the team perception changed? Fielding has been one of England's biggest areas for improvement, with six drops seeing them prematurely knocked out in T20 World Cup group stage and seven on day one of the Ashes Test alone. They took 38 catches in this series but still dropped 13 chances, giving them a 75% catch efficiency. That is up from the 41% at the T20 World Cup in October and 63% in the Ashes and on par with the 73% in home matches since 2020. Their body language and demeanour was also criticised, with Lewis' carefree approach lending itself to accusations of players not caring enough about the results. Under their new leadership, England do seem re-energised with a buzz in the field and the new or returning faces like Smith and Issy Wong, who played two of the T20s, contributing to that change in energy. Edwards said training "had been great to be at". But considering the difference in circumstances - England were losing heavily in Australia and winning by barely breaking a sweat against West Indies - we are still no clearer on whether that will change under pressure. "We're under no illusions that we're going to have tougher times ahead," Edwards acknowledged. "But equally I think what we're seeing already is that appetite for wanting to keep getting better, because they've got to, they know they can't stand still, there's probably someone in county cricket scoring runs who's winning games of cricket. "It's going to be difficult picking teams going forward, but that's the place we wanted to be, we didn't want to be picking for 15 or 16 players, we wanted to be picking from a pool of 25 players which I genuinely think we are now."Only Matthews has put England's bowlers to the sword, but even on those occasions it never felt like they were in danger of losing. The heat and humidity of India's World Cup is where this will really be put to the test. Every game will matter and England will be well aware of the attention that will be on them to put things right after the Ashes.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Fresh Covid fears as Asia case surge shows no sign of slowing
Several Asian countries, including India, Thailand, and Indonesia, are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, raising concerns about more infectious variants. Health authorities are monitoring Omicron subvariants LF.7 and NB.1.8.1 as potential drivers of the surge, though they are not yet designated as variants of concern. The NB.1.8.1 subvariant, found in multiple countries, exhibits a strong ability to bind to human cell receptors, potentially increasing its infectiousness. Common symptoms of the new strains include fatigue, sore throat, nasal congestion, and gut discomfort, with current vaccines expected to protect against severe symptoms. While most infections result in mild symptoms, vulnerable groups are advised to seek medical attention for severe symptoms like shortness of breath or low blood oxygen levels.
