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NDTV
7 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Victory Parade For IPL Claiming Innocent Lives": Ex-India Cricketers React As RCB Celebration Turns Fatal
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and opener Aakash Chopra have expressed their deepest condolences to the victims of the horrific stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru before an event celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 triumph. Several people were killed and many others injured in a stampede outside the stadium as thousands of fans surged into the stadium to participate in the event celebrating RCB's long-awaited first IPL title, which they won by defeating Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night. "Heartbreaking news of a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, resulting in the tragic loss of lives and injuries to several cricket fans has cast a dark shadow over the spirit of the game that unites millions across our nation," Harbhajan Singh wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "My deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate event. I stand in solidarity with them during this incredibly difficult time and pray for the speedy recovery of those who have been injured," said Harbhajan. Heartbreaking news of a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, resulting in the tragic loss of lives and injuries to several cricket fans has cast a dark shadow over the spirit of the game that unites millions across our nation. My deepest condolences go out… — Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 4, 2025 Aakash Chopra also expressed his shock at the horrific incident. "Speechless. Numb. A victory parade for an IPL win claiming innocent lives. Heart goes out to the affected and their loved ones," the former India opener and noted commentator said in his social media post. Speechless. Numb. A victory parade for an IPL win claiming innocent lives. Heart goes out for the affected and their loved ones. — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 4, 2025 Thousands of fans gathered outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) organised a felicitation ceremony for the players. However, as the crowd swelled, the situation became unmanageable. Police resorted to lathi-charge to control the crowd, leading to panic and chaos. 11 people were killed in the resulting stampede, while several others were rushed to Bowring Hospital and Vydehi Superspeciality Hospital for treatment. Earlier in the day, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with top police and administrative officials, had met to discuss the possibility of holding a victory parade. Concerns were raised about traffic congestion and crowd control, but the felicitation went ahead inside the stadium. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar defended the arrangements, stating: 'We had arranged for 5,000 police personnel. We couldn't use force on such a young, vibrant crowd.'
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First Post
8 hours ago
- General
- First Post
'Speechless. Numb': Former India cricketers express shock over Chinnaswamy stadium stampede
Former India cricketers mourned the tragic Chinnaswamy stampede during RCB's IPL 2025 victory celebrations. Aakash Chopra, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and others expressed deep sorrow over loss of lives in Bengaluru. read more The cricket world is in shock after the during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 victory celebrations on Wednesday. RCB players reached Bengaluru to celebrate their maiden IPL title win with fans earlier in the day. The entire RCB squad was first taken to the Vidhana Soudha, where the Karnataka state government organised a felicitation ceremony to honour their IPL 2025 title win. After the event, the team headed to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for further celebrations. However, a huge crowd of fans had gathered outside the stadium, and due to massive congestion, a tragic stampede took place. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the Karnataka government, at least 11 people have died and 33 others were injured in the incident. The families of victims will get compensation from the government. Several former and current cricketers have expressed deep sorrow over the incident that has claimed innocent lives and left many injured. More from First Cricket 'Should have planned it better': BCCI secretary blames organisers for stampede during RCB victory celebrations Former India cricketers react to Chinnaswamy stampede Former India opener and commentator Aakash Chopra said he was 'speechless' and 'numb' after hearing the news. 'A victory parade for an IPL win claiming innocent lives. Heart goes out for the affected and their loved ones. Om Shanti,' he posted on social media. Speechless. Numb. A victory parade for an IPL win claiming innocent lives. Heart goes out for the affected and their loved ones. 🕉️ शान्ति — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 4, 2025 Harbhajan Singh also offered his condolences and said the heartbreaking news had cast a dark shadow over the game. 'Heartbreaking news of a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, resulting in the tragic loss of lives and injuries to several cricket fans has cast a dark shadow over the spirit of the game that unites millions across our nation.' Heartbreaking news of a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, resulting in the tragic loss of lives and injuries to several cricket fans has cast a dark shadow over the spirit of the game that unites millions across our nation. My deepest condolences go out… — Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 4, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared a broken heart emoji on social media to express his silent grief. Former Karnataka cricketer Dodda Ganesh, who has often been vocal about cricket and public issues, said this was the 'saddest day' of his life. 💔 — Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) June 4, 2025 'As an Indian cricketer, this is the saddest day of my life. Simply unable to process the tragedy at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Innocent fans who came to catch the glimpses of their cricket heroes losing their lives is heart-wrenching. My heart goes out to the bereaved families," he wrote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As an Indian cricketer, this is the saddest day of my life. Simply unable to process the tragedy at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Innocent fans who came to catch the glimpses of their cricket heroes losing their lives is heart-wrenching. My heart goes out to the bereaved families. — Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) June 4, 2025
India Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
IPL 2025: What makes Shreyas Iyer's captaincy success at Punjab Kings extra special
Former India opener Aakash Chopra praised Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, explaining what made his leadership success at Punjab Kings in the 2025 IPL season very special. Speaking on JioStar, Aakash Chopra highlighted that Shreyas has consistently turned underperforming franchises like Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings into genuine contenders, often without the luxury of building the teams into the captaincy midway through the 2018 season after Gautam Gambhir stepped down, Shreyas Iyer inherited a struggling Delhi Capitals (DC) side. Although DC finished last that year, Shreyas brought stability and direction to the franchise. Over the next three seasons, he led them to the playoffs each time, culminating in a historic appearance in the 2020 IPL final - the first in the team's 2022, Shreyas took charge of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The campaign proved underwhelming, with KKR finishing seventh, and a back injury sidelined him for the entire 2023 season. Nitish Rana stepped in as interim captain. Iyer returned in 2024 and made an immediate impact, guiding KKR to their third IPL title - and first in a decade. "It's actually been an incredible journey, especially because he has been with less celebrated teams-except if you leave out KKR, since they already had two titles when he joined. Otherwise, he's been with Delhi and Punjab-teams that have never won. He took Delhi to the playoffs two years in a row, even to the final. Then what he has done with Punjab was commendable too," Aakash Chopra Kings made a bold statement when they spent Rs 26.75 crore to sign Shreyas Iyer, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL auction history. Head coach Ricky Ponting had already picked the squad, so Shreyas Iyer had no role in building the team. But he took charge, imposed his leadership, and delivered results. Under his captaincy, PBKS reached the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and finished in the top two at the end of the league turnaround has been among the standout stories of the season. Punjab, long seen as perennial underachievers, now look like a side with belief and balance."And here's something very interesting, this is not a team he built. Often, you see captains leading before a mega auction, so it becomes their team. They make the picks, they know the vision behind each choice. But here, the team was already formed and then handed over to him. So he had to plan based on what he had and work around that."From that point of view, he's done a great job. As a batter, Shreyas Iyer has played a huge role. Because from the beginning, he commanded respect just by scoring runs-people naturally start respecting you when you perform. He rarely moved from the number three position throughout. He said, 'There are several captain-like figures around me-two batters before me and two after me in the batting order-so I have to be the anchor in the middle."Shreyas Iyer has led by example throughout the season. He didn't shy away from the spotlight or hide in the batting order during challenging phases. Instead, he held his place at No. 3 and anchored the innings whenever this isn't someone who hid from responsibility. Sometimes captains try to hide-dropping down the order, saying their form isn't great or the pressure is too much. But he didn't do that. He also brought in someone like Joe English with him, so I think he's done a phenomenal job," Aakash Chopra Iyer's captaincy will face its biggest test yet when table-toppers PBKS take on second-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 on Thursday. 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 IN THIS STORY#IPL 2025
News18
27-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
'Is He Even Fit?': Suresh Raina, Aakash Chopra Clash Over MS Dhoni's IPL Future
Last Updated: A discussion between two former India cricketers turned into an intense clash over the form and fitness of CSK legend MS Dhoni in IPL 2025. Aakash Chopra and Suresh Raina have contrasting views on MS Dhoni's IPL future. While Dhoni continues to maintain secrecy over his chances of playing in IPL 2026, the two former India cricketers, during a discussion, presented countering arguments on whether the ageing stalwart should retire. For Chopra, Dhoni 's reluctance to bat up the order throughout IPL 2025 raised doubts on his fitness while Raina said the legendary captain remains an integral part of Chennai Super Kings' big-hitting plans. During the debate on Star Sports, the two refused to see eye-to-eye after making their points, as Raina stood firmly behind his former India and CSK teammate and skipper. RP Singh, another former India cricketer and a close friend of Dhoni, also spoke in favour of the wicketkeeper-batter. Here is how the conversation panned out: Aakash Chopra: Suresh Raina: Absolutely, he has been with the team for 18 years. Even now, he hits the most sixes. Aakash Chopra: The point is, why is he batting at No. 7, No. 8 or No. 9? Your team isn't batting well, the top order has problems. Should such a big player bat higher up? Why the reluctance? Is he even fit or not? Suresh Raina: He feels he is more comfortable in the final four overs. He is fit, keeping wickets at the age of 43. He did an interview (last year), saying a team for the World Cup (T20) is being made, hence he wants to give others like Shivam Dube more chances (to make their cases). Meanwhile, Dhoni continued to bat low in the CSK batting order and wasn't needed against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday in what was the franchise's last match of the season. Soon after CSK secured a consolation win in Ahmedabad, Dhoni was asked if it was the final time he has been seen in the yellow jersey. The 43-year-old replied, 'I am not saying I am done, not saying I am coming back at the same time." First Published:
India Today
26-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Aakash Chopra reveals his top 2 teams and finalists of IPL 2025: Difficult to stop them
Former India cricketer-turned commentator Aakash Chopra has named his top two teams and the finalists of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025). With just two matches remaining in the season, the race for the much-coveted top two positions on the points table has heated up with all four qualified teams in contention to take up the of the highly anticipated Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) Match 69 of the season, Aakash Chopra has given his predictions for the top two teams of the ongoing season. The former opener backed Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to finish in top two and also lock horns in the final of the feel the scales are tilted towards Mumbai because the team is looking better. They are moving like a juggernaut. It seems slightly difficult to stop them. I feel Mumbai and RCB will finish as the top two, and the final will also be Mumbai-RCB," said Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel. MI have scripted a remarkable comeback in the ongoing season as they could win just one out of their first five matches. However, they went on to win six matches in a row and further beat Delhi Capitals (DC) to register their eighth win and qualified for the Hardik Pandya-led side has a golden chance to finish in top two by defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their last fixture in Jaipur. If MI emerge victorious in the game, they will climb to the top of the points table and guarantee a top two finish, which will give them two chances to make it to the final of the the other hand, RCB can also top the table by winning their last league game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Hence, the two teams are in line to have a top two finish and compete in the qualifier 1 on May 29 at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, 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!
