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A tragic turn of events cast a shadow over Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s much-anticipated homecoming celebrations on Wednesday, as a massive stampede erupted amid the jubilant scenes in the city.
The incident, which occurred near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, claimed 11 lives and left many others injured. A grand felicitation ceremony had been organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Academy (KSCA) to honour the RCB players following their historic maiden IPL title win, that ended an 18-year-long wait.
The disaster unfolded as thousands of fans flooded the streets to welcome the newly crowned champions, who had returned triumphant after their thrilling victory over Punjab Kings in Tuesday night’s final. However, the celebration quickly spiraled into chaos, with overwhelming crowds jostling for space and law enforcement resorting to baton charges in a bid to manage the unruly mob.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a section of fans turned their ire towards the RCB franchise and its talisman, Virat Kohli. Hashtags like `#ArrestKohli` began trending across social media, with critics blaming him for the chaos and poor crowd management. Ironically, these were the same fans who had once roared in support of Kohli during RCB`s emphatic six-wicket win in the IPL 2025 final.
Kohli, who has almost every cricketing accolade to his name, found himself at the center of online trolling, with users resurrecting old criticisms about his captaincy failures. Comparisons were drawn with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, whose leadership in international cricket never saw such crushing defeats, often aided by Kohli`s performances in key matches under their captaincy.
After giving 17 loyal years to RCB, Kohli finally experienced the long-awaited joy of lifting an IPL trophy. The 36-year-old was visibly emotional during the final over, with tears streaming down his face as the dream of holding the elusive title was finally realised.
As for the harsh label of being the ‘worst’ franchise, it is important to reflect on recent history. In the 2023 edition of the IPL, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya faced relentless criticism merely for taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma. The backlash went far beyond sport, with even his former wife Natasha Stankovic receiving horrifying rape threats from trolls.
Such toxic fandom isn’t isolated. Ravindra Jadeja, a key player for Chennai Super Kings, often receives inexplicable applause when dismissed during CSK matches, not for his performances, but because fans eagerly anticipate the entry of the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The tragic stampede underscores the dark side of unbridled fandom and mismanagement. Blind hero worship, misplaced blame, and online toxicity continue to taint the spirit of the game, reminding us that cricket’s passion must never come at such a cost!
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the author`s personal views, and do not represent the views of Mid-Day.
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