Rajat Patidar, the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, temporarily put aside his stoic side to dedicate his team’s second IPL trophy to the supporters who perished in the stampede last year.
11 fans were killed in a stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB’s hastily planned victory celebrations following their first IPL championship in June of last year.
“Obviously, you feel bad. You lost your fans after winning the game. Not just the fans, they are the family members,” PTI quoted Patidar as saying in the post-match press conference after RCB beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets to bag their second IPL title in a row in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
“I always want to dedicate this trophy to them. That’s it. I don’t have words to express that feeling,” he added.
Following the unfortunate turn of events, a series of circumstances occurred that prevented top-flight cricket from being played at Chinnaswamy Stadium for about eight months.
The Karnataka government and the BCCI approved the return of cricket to the storied location following multiple rounds of talks, inspections, and renovations.
It made it possible for RCB and the local organization—in this case, the Karnataka State Cricket Association—to play five games at the Chinnaswamy.
The Royal Challengers, in collaboration with the KSCA, designated 11 permanent seats in memory of the stampede deaths, and the players wore jersey No. 11 on game days as a sign of respect for the deceased.
In contrast to earlier years, the Royal Challengers won four of the five games played at the stadium by making the most of the home conditions.
The IPL 2026 final and a playoff match were supposed to take place in the Chinnaswamy, but the BCCI decided to move the title match to Ahmedabad due to the state lawmakers’ strong desire for free passes.
