Casualties mar RCB's homecoming in Bengaluru

Elvenem people have died in Bengaluru due to injuries suffered during stampede-like conditions around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the Royal Challengers Bengaluru players were being felicitated for winning the IPL for the first time in 18 years.

There have been reports of injuries to several more people, who have been admitted to nearby hospitals.

“People were supposed to witness RCB’s IPL victory celebrations. The tragedy and death have brought deep pain and shock,” Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said on social media. “My condolences to the deceased. My condolences to their family. Let there be pride, but not bigger than life. I appeal to everyone to please stay safe.”

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia expressed his condolences. "It is very unfortunate. This is a negative side of popularity,” he said. “People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured.”

"When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere.”

Read the full story here.

More from Ashish Pant: "It has been close to an hour since the RCB event at Chinnaswamy stadium ended, but the crowd is staying put, soaking in the atmosphere. There are lots of whistles from the policemen, as they try to get the people to move out, but they are not ready to budge. The players left soon after a victory lap around the ground, with the players and support staff taking turns and lifting the trophy. At least 40% of the crowd is still around, but they are slowly dispersing. Just outside the main gate, loud chants of "RCB, RCB" can still be heard."

Unfortunately, amid the euphoria in Bengaluru and celebratory scenes at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, there are grim reports of stampede-like situations that have occurred around the ground. Here’s an account from our reporter Shashank Kishore near the Chinnaswamy Stadium:

“Celebrations have given way to chaos around the Chinnaswamy Stadium. As thousands of jubilant supporters marched toward the main gates to be part of the historic moment, there was a dangerous congestion that eventually led to as many as 22 fans - as confirmed by the local police - needing hospitalisation.

“A staff member confirmed injuries ranging from dehydration to bruises and mild skull fractures in two cases. A family member of one of the injured described the scenes as a "complete mismanagement” from the local authorities. There were several other people rushed out of Cubbon Park metro station to the nearby Bowring Hospital for exhaustion and other trauma resulting from the crush. At least four people were brought in unconscious, with emergency wards working on stabilising the situation.

“What was meant to be an evening of long-awaited celebration for RCB’s faithful fans has now left parts of the crowd in a shock. Even as the crowd that made it safely inside the Chinnaswamy Stadium continued to revel in the triumph - with as many as 25,000 fans in attendance, there are still thousands of others stuck in the vicinity, with severe traffic jams leading to the police cordoning off certain sections around the ground for vehicular movement.

The ensuring chaos has even led to several airlines issuing advisories to passengers to plan their travel to the airport accordingly.”

Ashish Pant on his experience in Bengaluru: "The M Chinnaswamy stadium is a sea of red and white, and they are LOUD! The people started coming into the venue from as early as 3.30pm. The tickets for the event were sold out in a jiffy and sure enough, the venue was packed the rafters. The support staff, led by Dinesh Karthik, first made an entry to the venue sending the crowd roaring "DK… DK". But it was when the RCB team, led by Virat Kohli, stepped on to the field along with the Karnataka Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar that pandemonium set in. Kohli tried to speak, but the crowd did not let him… for two minutes, or was it five? "Kohli… Kohli" was the chant, followed by the usual "Aaaarceeeebeee"! A little later, out walked Rajat Patidar with the trophy in hand and Queen’s We are the champions roaring in the background. As he lifted the trophy high up, the fireworks set in."

Rajat Patidar: "Whenever I come here, I always like to start with namaskara Bengaluru. It was a great moment for us. From the start of the season, everyone was clear what we had to do. You all deserve the trophy. We all love you."

Patidar and co then lift the trophy for the hundredth time since last night, before going on to salute the crowd. The RCB side acknowledges the support, the cheers and every breath that the crowd has to offer.

Virat Kohli has been called up to say a few words, but the crowd wouldn't stop cheering. Each time he lifts the mic, they go even louder. He can only utter a word, before they roar again. So Kohli has to wait, before restarting.

"I'm going to start off by saying something..."

Take three.

"I'm going to start off by repeating what our captain said: it's no more ee sala cup namde, it's ee sala cup namdu. It's for all of you - the fans, the people of this wonderful city, people who've supported RCB through thick and thin. I've never seen any fanbase of any team in the world like this franchise. I'm going to give the loudest cheer for him [Patidar]."

Shashank Kishore says it's "hammering down" in Bengaluru at the moment. However, there's little chance of that dampening the spirit. The Chinnaswamy Stadium is full to the brim - are there more people there currently than there were at the Narendra Modi Stadium last night?! - even as a hint of sunshine is making its way there.

A few minutes on, the RCB buses are seen to be entering the Chinnaswamy. They are gheraoed on all sides from the patient crowd, who have their phone cameras flashing. Patidar, once again, holds the IPL trophy up for the crowd. He's flanked by his RCB team-mates at the Chinnaswamy balcony. Amid the players, don't forget Dinesh Karthik, RCB's behind-the-scenes plotter, who can hardly hide how delighted he feels. Now it's Kohli's turn to lift the trophy, as the crowd gets a taste of its biggest hero.

Rajat Patidar has the trophy aloft for the world to see. Behind him are Krunal Pandya, Player of the Final; Virat Kohli, the King, Lord and everything else; and then the rest of the squad. The players are waving at their fans with beaming faces. Who'll believe that Patidar isn't a local boy? Bengaluru can do anything for him at the moment.

The squad is seated on the stage. Guess whom the Karnataka CM wants to sit beside? "Kohli, Kohli". Hang on, though, Ashish Pant, with his lens on the city, says it's "drizzling" there at the moment. But you'd bet even a deluge can't stop the city from heading to their favourite place for the day, even as some umbrellas are up at the gathering.

Some have climbed trees, some have perched on top of nearby buildings - it doesn't matter, though, as long as they get to witness their heroes lifting the big IPL trophy, and waving at them. It's one of those days when you could perhaps even tolerate the police rapping you. Bengaluru doesn't have a beach, but there's certainly a sea of red all around the Vidhana Soudha. And as you'd think, the air is filled with chants of "RCB, RCB, RCB". Who's to believe that it's a weekday? Guess what, even Karnataka's political bosses seem to be waiting for the players' arrival. They are that precious at the moment. Finally, we see live visuals of the RCB buses crawling their way to the Vidhana Soudha.

Forget about the roads, Bengaluru's traffic has now reached even the metro station. At the moment, there's only one-way traffic, though - towards the Vidhana Soudha, where the celebrations will be taking place, and where the IPL festival is set to continue. We're only four minutes away from their parade at Vidhana Soudha, where the city will get to witness its champions - finally.

Here's Shashank Kishore, reporting amid the rush in Bengaluru: "The purple line of the Bengaluru Metro is running to full capacity. It’s the kind of rush you see at peak hours, or on match days, when the facility operates until 1am to facilitate easier dispersing of crowds. This afternoon, there have been reports of unusual delays along the route because of the unprecedented nature of the rush. Security personnel manning the metro stations have had to rope in additional measures and workforce, while also opening up all entry and exit points which they sparingly do for better crowd management.

The famous Majestic interchange on a regular weekday sees long queues that needs people to wait for at least three batches of trains to pass at peak hour before they can stand a chance to enter. Today it seems as if that wait time is at least 25 minutes. Central Bengaluru is an absolute no-go. If you’ve a flight or a train to catch, good luck. All the ingredients are there for a pretty harrowing experience but the mood around the ground is celebratory. For a change, no one seems to mind the inconvenience nor the traffic restrictions. They’re all just going #ESCN."

RCB have reached Taj Bengaluru. Hundreds of fans are standing outside the gates of the hotel to catch a glimpse of the IPL champions. Your IPL champions will rest up at the hotel and will then head to the Vidhana Soudha to meet the chief minister.

...even if you don't think he is. He's the first player to win multiple Player-of-the-Match awards in an IPL final. In a format that is becoming increasingly hostile to fingerspinners, Krunal has stayed relevant with his high pace and tight lengths. He's even had a mean bouncer to his repertoire. He took out Prabhsimran and Inglis to pave the way for RCB's IPL title win.

RCB have arrived in Bengaluru and are currently on their way to the team hotel. The IPL champs are set to meet the chief minister at Vidhana Souha by 4pm IST and will then ride in an open-top bus through the streets of the city en route to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The victory parade from Vidhana Soudha is set to begin at 5pm IST.

Shashank Kishore recalls the revelry from Tuesday night in Bengaluru: A housing complex that considers even the slightest noise after 10pm as public nuisance celebrated with fans gathering in massive numbers. A massive watch party at a private screening inside our complex had residents gathering from as early as 6pm. Minutes after the win, there was a collective outpouring of joy that resulted in a spontaneous firecracker celebration - the noise and the pollution from which no one, for a change, seemed to mind. Malls in the vicinity had boards to indicate that their car parking slots had been full from even before the match started, thanks to giant screening they’d advertised at short notice. Shops that close routinely by 10pm stayed open until midnight.

Sid Monga sums it up: For 18 years, Kohli has given it his all, celebrating, anguishing, sledging, putting his reputation on the line beefing with kids, reinventing his game to triple the percentage of good-length balls he slogs. His tears of anguish, and now tears of joy, are perhaps the most glowing endorsement for the tournament.

According to a RCB media release, the IPL champions are set to visit the chief minister and will go on an open-top bus parade through the city leading to the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

As early as 10am on Thursday, hundreds of fans had already begun descending at the Kempegowda International Airport to welcome the team. But the long commute from there towards central Bengaluru has forced a change of plan, with the team set to now touch down at the old HAL Airport then drive to the chief minister’s office for a short felicitation before arriving at the Chinnaswamy Stadium shortly after 5pm.

The city’s police are in close coordination with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who are likely to throw open a number of stands for the victory lap that is now expected to take place inside the stadium’s premises. The KSCA is preparing for at least 10,000 fans to flock to the ground, but that number is likely to be a lot higher.