"You Can't Lose 11 People": India Coach Gautam Gambhir Slams RCB's IPL Title Celebration Road Show

NDTV

2 days ago

Gautam Gambhir, Indian cricket team head coach, has said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 title celebration victory parade should never have taken place. He added that such events must take place in a closed-door environment. Royal Challengers Bengaluru's joy of winning a first IPL title in 18 years turned tragic as 11 people lost their lives in stampede at a planned victory parade on Wednesday. The RCB team members, including Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar, were felicitated at the Vidhan Soudha by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah at around 5 PM IST after which there was a planned open bus parade. Lakhs of people gathered around the area where it was supposed to take place. It turned tragic as 11 died and close to 50 people got injured in the event.
"I was never a believer that we need to have roadshows. Never. When I was playing, I had the same statement, even after winning the 2007 T20 World Cup that we should not have road shows. The lives of people are far more important and I will continue to say that. In future we can be little bit aware about not holding these kind of road shows and probably have it in a closed door environment. What has happened is very tragic. My heart goes out to the families who have lost their loved ones," Gautam Gambhir said at a pre-departure press conference ahead of India vs England Test series.
Asked if the nature of fandom had changed over the years, Gambhir spoke about being responsible in every aspect of life.
"I can't say whether the fan base has increased or all that kind of stuff. All I can say is that we need to be responsible. We need to be responsible in every aspect of whether being a franchise or everything (else) because every life matters." Gambhir also questioned the need to hold a road show when they were simply not prepared.
"If you were not ready to hold a road show, you shouldn't have done that. (It is) as simple as it can get," he couldn't be more blunt.
He said he understands the excitement of fans but what happened in Bengaluru was beyond tragic.
"I know fans do get excited. Everyone gets excited. The fan base gets excited. But nothing compared to what has happened recently. You cannot at any point of time lose 11 people,
Earlier, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia talked to NDTV and admitted 'some lapses' were there on the part of the organisers.
"I am not in a fault finding mission at this moment without knowing the complete fact. Whenever these kinds of events are being organised, if you take the example of how BCCI organised such victory celebration after India won the T20 World Cup in West Indies last year, there was a thorough planning with local cricket association - that is the Mumbai Cricket Association - as well as the Mumbai authorities, which includes the police, the fire brigade, the disaster management authorities. When planning that magnitude of celebration in Mumbai, when there was a sea of humanity, where so many people gathered, everything happened smoothly. Not a single untoward incident occurred because all the protocols were duly followed," Saikia told NDTV.
"That kind of planning takes time. It cannot be done in a hastily manner. I think some lapses definitely took place. I am sure the authorities having this responsibility in Bengaluru, they will do some soul searching to find out. Definitely, nobody should be allowed to go scot-free for any lapses on their part."