
Not too concerned: RCB head coach on long 20-day break before SRH clash
8:23
IPL 2025, RCB vs SRH: In the pre-match press conference, bowling coach James Franklin said that it was always going to be a tough ask for the Sunrisers Hyderabad to make a comeback after a poor start to their campaign.

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Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Preity Zinta pens heartfelt note after PBKS lose IPL final to RCB: 'It didn't end the way we wanted it to'
After Punjab Kings' narrow defeat in the IPL 2025 final against Royal Challengers Bangalore, team co-owner Preity Zinta took to social media to share an emotional message, reflecting on a season full of highs and lows. Actor and PBKS owner Preity Zinta wrote on Instagram on June 6. "It didn't end the way we wanted it to but the journey was spectacular ! It was exciting, entertaining & it was inspiring. I loved the fight & the grit our young team, our shers showed through out the tournament. I loved the way our captain, our Sarpanch lead from the front & how Indian uncapped players dominated this IPL," she wrote. This year, Punjab Kings reached the IPL final for the first time in over a decade. Zinta described the season as 'unique', noting the team overcame multiple challenges — including injuries to key players, national call-ups, a pause in the tournament, and even having to relocate home games. 'This year was unique. We smashed records even though we lost key players to injury & national duty, witnessed a pause in the tournament, transferred home games to other states & evacuated a stadium ! We adapted & topped the points table after a decade & fought till the end in an exciting final,' she said. Zinta praised every player and thanked the support staff and fans for their unwavering belief. She wrote, 'I am so proud of each n every player of Punjab Kings for showing so much character throughout the tournament. A big thank you to each of them and to our support staff and everyone at PBKS for an incredible season. Most of all a HEARTFELT THANK YOU to our - SHER SQUAD - our FANS that stood with us through thick n thin.' Ending on a hopeful note, she promised a stronger comeback: 'Whatever we are & how far we have reached is all because of you. I promise we will come back to finish the job cuz as of now the job is still half done. See you next year in the stadium , till then take care n stay safe everyone. Love you all." Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched their maiden IPL title with a narrow 6-run win over Punjab Kings in the final.


The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Letters to The Editor — June 7, 2025
Celebration to tragedy I would like to share my grief with the family members of the persons who died and also the injured during the celebrations of RCB's win in the Indian Premier League 2025. It is distressing to write such a letter. The roadshow was unwarranted. Basic crowd control measures were lacking. There was hardly a stretcher or an ambulance in sight and the number of policemen was insufficient. The fact that lakhs of people had converged around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, unmindful of the risks involved, also highlights the degree of unemployment in the country. There was no need for such a hype over the victory of the RCB. It only shows how a great sport has lapsed into a commercial enterprise, so much so that whenever a boundary is hit or a wicket is taken, there are cheerleaders dancing. To add to it, players who receive a handsome amount also easily give in to advertisements. It is time regulatory measures are brought in, either by the BCCI or the government, to retain the quality of the sport. It would also not be an exaggeration to underscore the point that the Opposition political parties are trying to gain mileage out of this immense tragedy. N.G.R. Prasad, Chennai


NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Stampede vs Mild Lathicharge: KKR And RCB's Mega, But Different Celebrations
The scenes were similar, if not even more grand in some ways. A team had won the Indian Premier League after a five-year wait and a massive celebration was organised, with free entry into the stadium. This one had a victory parade and even Bollywood superstar power in the form of Shah Rukh Khan, but there were no major incidents, barring a lathicharge towards the end. Wednesday's stampede - in which 11 were killed and 47 injured - after fans gathered to cheer the long-awaited crowning of Royal Challengers Bengaluru as IPL champions, has brought the first such grand celebrations by an IPL team into focus. The internet is abuzz about the Kolkata Knight Riders' mega victory lap in Kolkata in 2012, especially since Team India Coach Gautam Gambhir - who was the KKR captain at the time - said after the Bengaluru stampede: "I was never a believer in roadshows." "I had the same statement to make even after winning in 2007; we should never have roadshows. I think the lives of people are far more important than this, and I will continue to say that. Maybe in the future we should try not to hold roadshows, instead we can do it in the stadium. It's very tragic what happened yesterday, and my heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives," Mr Gambhir said on Thursday. A Waiting Period? Unlike the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, whose celebrations were held just a day after they won the final on Tuesday, the Kolkata Knight Riders organised their victory lap on May 29, 2012, two days after they defeated the Chennai Super Kings. A five-km victory parade was organised from Hazra Crossing to the Writers' Building and estimates suggest at least 1 lakh people had turned up. Crowds lined the streets and many more watched from rooftops and balconies as the players and team owner Shah Rukh Khan travelled on an open-top bus. The players then went to the Eden Gardens, where there was free entry and every seat was taken. The players and Mr Khan danced on stage, and the team was felicitated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Reports suggest that a lathicharge had to be carried out at one point, leading to some minor injuries, but there were no major incidents. The RCB bash, on the other hand, turned out to be a disaster. Despite only two points being approved for the celebrations - Vidhana Soudha, the state legislature complex, and the Chinnaswamy Stadium - and no victory parade, a stampede broke out. The stampede occurred outside the 35,000-capacity Chinnaswamy Stadium, where over a lakh fans had gathered, reportedly after a rumour of free passes being given. The 11 dead included a 14-year-old. Action Multiple first information reports (FIRs) have been filed and four people, including an RCB official, have been arrested. Five police officers, including the Bengaluru police commissioner, have been suspended and the political secretary to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been removed. While the Congress-led government has said it is doing everything possible to help the families of the victims and fix accountability, the opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) have accused it of scapegoating the police officers.