"I was angry...": RCB accused of mismanagement by IPL champion after Bengaluru stampede

Former India batter Robin Uthappa opened up about the tragic stampede that occurred after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched their maiden IPL title. The two-time IPL winner stated that the celebrations around RCB’s long-awaited triumph would forever be overshadowed by the loss of lives.

RCB lifted their maiden IPL title with a win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) on June 3. A day after the victory, a massive crowd gathered outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate the team's historic IPL triumph. However, a stampede led to the deaths of 11 people and left many others injured.

RCB's Victory Will Always Be Marred by the Loss of Lives - Robin Uthappa

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Robin Uthappa said that RCB’s long-awaited triumph would always be overshadowed by the loss of lives. The former Indian cricketer said that players and fans were robbed of the chance to celebrate due to the unfortunate incident.

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"The victory is always be marred by the loss of the lives of people involved. It is so unfortunate that they can't even celebrate the win that they have achieved after so many years, after so much of hard work."

"It is going to be marred by this and so you got to feel sad for the fans and of course for the players," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.

I Was Angry for Almost a Day - Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa revealed that he was angry for almost a day after the tragic stampede. The two-time IPL winner admitted that the organizers should have taken an extra day to plan the event better, adding that Bengaluru truly deserved a celebration.

"I was angry for almost a day and I really delayed even putting anything out on social media because I was so angry. In a sense, we were talking about a modicum of balance during the rivalries bit right? One can understand that in the celebrations.

"You really want people to get close to the team and celebrate with them. I certainly think it could have been better planned, maybe take a day off to just plan the whole event because the city did deserve it, to be very honest," Uthappa said.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru End Title Drought with Memorable 2025 Campaign

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had an impressive campaign in IPL 2025. The team delivered consistent performances throughout the season, finishing second on the points table with nine wins and 19 points from 14 matches.

Notably, RCB became the first team to win all seven away games in a single edition. After securing a top-two finish, RCB registered an eight-wicket victory against Punjab Kings in the Qualifier to book their place in the final.

Having struggled in three previous finals (2009, 2011, and 2016), the Rajat Patidar-led side made no mistake this time. They clinched a six-run win in a thrilling title clash to finally lift the trophy and end their long title drought.

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