After Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 glory celebration turned into a heart-wrenching tragedy, the former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has made a bold statement on Virat Kohli, the franchise, and the board.
He lashed out at the shocking mismanagement during RCB’s felicitation event at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a deadly stampede claimed 11 lives and left several injured.
After Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their maiden IPL trophy on June 3 in Ahmedabad, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) organized a grand felicitation ceremony in Bengaluru.
Madan Lal calls out RCB, KSCA, and BCCI over Bengaluru tragedy
Thousands of excited fans gathered to celebrate with their beloved team during the event, only to face a horrifying situation due to a lack of basic crowd control measures.
With no solid crowd control in place, the situation turned deadly outside the stadium. The police were forced to use lathi-charge tactics as they were struggling to manage the sea of supporters, creating panic among the fans and a deadly stampede where 11 innocent fans lost their lives.
Many others had to be rushed to Bowring Hospital and Vydehi Super Specialty Hospital in critical condition for treatment. Despite all the horrific scenes outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the celebration and speeches were going on inside the stadium on June 4.
People will not forget this or Virat Kohli: Madan Lal
Furious over the tragedy, Madan Lal slammed the RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and even accused the BCCI of turning a blind eye to the disaster unfolding outside. The former World Cup winner also suggested that the families of those who died should sue RCB and the Karnataka government for INR 100 crore.
Furthermore, the former Indian cricketer said that people will never forget how fans were dying outside the stadium while celebrations carried on inside. He even said that one of the darkest days in IPL history would remain linked to Virat Kohli in people’s memories.
Madan Lal was quoted as saying by IANS, “People will not forget this —or Virat Kohli. While people were dying outside, there was a celebration inside. It’s truly shocking and disheartening. The families of the dead should consider suing RCB and the state government for ₹100 crore for this tragic mishap… BCCI is also shirking responsibility.”
Madan Lal questions RCB’s rush to celebrate IPL 2025 glory
In another interview, the former Indian team manager questioned why there was such a hurry to organize a grand event in Bengaluru just hours after the celebration in Ahmedabad. He stressed that there was absolutely no need for this event, especially without proper crowd control arrangements.
Madan Lal was quoted as saying by Herald Goa, “You celebrated in Ahmedabad the previous night—what was the rush to organize a grand event in Bengaluru the next day? Eleven lives were lost unnecessarily.”
Notably, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced INR 10 lakh compensation for the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic celebration stampede.
On the other hand, Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar defended the planning, saying they had deployed 5,000 police personnel but avoided using force on the excited young crowd.