Legendary India wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani has voiced his dismay over the tragic stampede that marred Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebration at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, calling it a “deadly welcome” for the newly crowned champions. The 1983 World Cup winner also drew a stark contrast between the controlled, grounded fandom of his playing days and the frenzied following seen in the IPL era.
The victory event, jointly held by the RCB management and the Karnataka government, turned fatal as massive, unregulated crowds overwhelmed the venue’s security capacity. At least 11 people lost their lives, and nearly 50 were injured in the chaos. Kirmani, deeply moved by the tragedy, questioned both the timing and the management of the celebrations.
"My condolences to bereaved families. This was a deadly welcome to IPL champions. In our times, there was no such media hype and there was no TV and there was no such thing which could lead to such things," Kirmani told India Today.
Kirmani, who represented India in 88 Test matches, felt that the felicitation of RCB’s maiden IPL triumph could have waited a little longer, allowing for better planning and crowd control. He stressed that such an important moment should not have been rushed.
"On that count, I suppose if RCB waited for 17 (18) years to become champions and organisers, whosoever it may be, could have waited for a while for things to settle down and then organise a show to felicitate these great heroes of RCB."
{{/usCountry}}"On that count, I suppose if RCB waited for 17 (18) years to become champions and organisers, whosoever it may be, could have waited for a while for things to settle down and then organise a show to felicitate these great heroes of RCB."
{{/usCountry}}Madan Lal had earlier bashed RCB for not waiting a little longer to organise the title celebrations.
Kirmani on fandom
The former wicketkeeper didn’t shy away from questioning the intensity of today’s cricket fandom, highlighting how the game’s changing nature has led to situations previously unheard of.
"The fans of our times were not as crazy as fans of today, and especially in the IPL, the crazy fans are unimaginable, particularly as you could see lakhs and lakhs were around just to get a glimpse of these great heroes," said Kirmani.
He further posed a thought-provoking question on whether the same crowd would have shown up if Karnataka had won the Ranji Trophy, suggesting that the growing glamour and media spectacle around the IPL has fundamentally altered how fans connect with the sport.