Virat Kohli was "absolutely gutted" as he took note of the Bengaluru stampede after what was supposed to be a happy, fun-filled day to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title but it turned into a fatal incident resulting in 11 deaths and 33 people getting injured. The open-bus victory parade, that was supposed to take place at first but got cancelled after a traffic advisory and was back on track once again, meant that RCB fans and Bengaluru crowd hit the streets to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime moment of seeing their favourite stars and get a glimpse of the trophy.
"At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted," Kohli said, reacting to the incident. The magnitude of such an event happening required proper planning, security arrangements, and traffic diversions in place, especially since it was happening at the peak office timings on a working day. And it took a tragic turn outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. As soon as the news of deaths broke out, the team was swiftly moved in regular buses to the stadium before the feliciation ceremony was wrapped up quickly.
Kohli's former RCB teammate, AB de Villiers, who was present at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to be part of the maiden title celebrations, also reacted to the incident, expressing his condolences for the affected families. "My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the tragic events at the Chinnaswamy stadium today," de Villiers wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
While the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced a Rs 5 Lakh ex gratia to the next of kin, RCB also issued a statement mourning the incident. "We are deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents that have come to light through media reports regarding public gatherings all over Bengaluru in anticipation of the team’s arrival this afternoon. The safety and well-being of everyone is of utmost importance to us.
"RCB mourns the tragic loss of lives and extend our heartfelt condolences to the affected families.
"Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our program, and followed, the guidance and advice of the local administration," the statement added.
The BCCI said that the board didn't have any prior information regarding the event and the secretary, Devajit Saikia, called for better planning and proper security measures to be in place for an event of such magnitude.