Legendary Indian batter and former captain Sunil Gavaskar stated that the reaction might not have been as intense after the 18-year wait if RCB had won the IPL trophy in the tournament's early years. Following the tragic stampede event outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB's victory celebration, Gavaskar has expressed his deep sadness. During what should have been a festive celebration of RCB's historic first IPL title victory, this horrific incident claimed 11 lives.

A massive crowd of supporters wanting to join in the team's win celebrations caused a stampede near the stadium on Wednesday, unfortunately killing 11 people and injuring over 50 more. Gavaskar expressed his profound grief over the poor management that led to this tragedy.

Gavaskar recognized the strong feelings of the RCB supporters, who had been waiting for their team's first IPL championship for eighteen years. The renowned former cricket player, who was also a member of the commentary team throughout the IPL season, praised the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for their outstanding season-long play, which finally led to their much anticipated first title victory, despite the unfortunate circumstances.

“If RCB 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 wrote in his column for Mid Day.

The sizable crowd outside the stadium, according to Gavaskar, was evidence of the supporters' admiration and eagerness to offer the squad a particular applause for their outstanding on-field performances. During the festivities, he also acknowledged the immense anguish and grief felt by the impacted families and offered his sincere sympathies to everyone who lost a loved one in the terrible stampede disaster.

“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 Bengaluru,” Gavaskar added.

The 75-year-old emphasized the enduring love that RCB supporters have for their team while also restating the terrible tragedy of the stampede. He said that the loss of life was all the more tragic because of how RCB's performance over the previous two months had filled their fans with excitement and joy, culminating in the long-awaited win of their maiden IPL title.

“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 IPL Trophy, which they kept hoping would be theirs every year but never did, was finally coming to them after a wait of 18 years," he concluded.

RCB received a lot of criticism for celebrating their win just one day after winning the IPL. Concerns regarding the safety procedures in place are raised by the timing, which is thought to have given the administration and police forces little time to set up suitable security measures for an event of this size. The recently crowned champions have responded to the unfortunate event by offering the families of the eleven people who perished in the stampede a financial aid package of Rs 10 lakh apiece.

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