Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar shared his views on the stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy stadium during the victory celebration of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they won their first title in 18 years. He also mentioned that because it has taken so long for Bengaluru to win their maiden title, the celebrations were so frenetic.
“What a tragedy? The loss of lives due to a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium is heartbreaking indeed. All that those people wanted was a glimpse of the players who had given them so much joy and happiness over the years, especially in the last two months. The Trophy, which they kept hoping would be theirs every year but never did, was finally coming to them after a wait of 18 years,” Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-day column.
“If had won the Trophy in the first few years, there would not have been this outpouring of emotion as happened after the long wait of 18 years. Other teams have won but their celebrations have been a lot less frenetic maybe because their fans didn’t have to wait this long. The slogan ‘Ee saala cup naamde’ seemed to be like a millstone around the necks of the team. This year, when that slogan was barely heard, the team played some superb cricket, most of it away from their fans,” Gavaskar observed.
RCB, on their way to victory, became the first side to win all the away games. “They won every single game they played away, which is a new record in the IPL. No wonder the home fans wanted to give them a special ovation. Heartfelt condolences to those who lost their loved ones. Prayers of the fans can change fortunes, and there’s no doubt that the prayers of their loved ones made a contribution to bringing that elusive Cup to ,” Gavaskar concluded.
