“Road show shouldn’t have happened” - Gautam Gambhir on stampede at RCB IPL 2025 title celebrations

The Team India head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has opened up on the stampede incident that took the lives of 11 people and left 50 injured at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL 2025 title celebrations event at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Gambhir stated that he was never a believer in holding roadshows for victories, as such huge crowds can put lives at risk. Notably, a total of 11 deaths, including six at Bowring Hospital, four at Vydehi Hospital, and one at Manipal Hospital, took place.

While addressing the press conference ahead of India’s departure for the England tour, Gambhir called open road celebrations ‘unnecessary’. Moreover, he had sent his condolences to the families of the deceased.

"Lives are more important and I will continue to say that even in the future. In the future, we should be a little bit more aware of having these road shows. We can probably be little bit aware of not having these road shows. We can have these (celebrations) inside closed doors or in a stadium. It's very tragic. My heart goes out to the families and the loved ones of the victims. I hope, in future, nothing like this happens. We shouldn't have done that. You can't, at any point, lose 11 people. For me, the roadshow should not have happened," Gambhir said at the pre-departure press conference.

"Can't say whether the fan base has increased or all that. All I can say is we need to be responsible citizens. We need to be responsible in every aspect, whether being a franchise or everything. Every life matters. If you are not ready to hold a roadshow, you shouldn't have done that. As simple as it can get," he added.

It’s important to note that the RCB franchise announced the financial support of INR 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased and had set up an RCB Cares fund in aid of the fans injured in this tragic incident. 

Moreover, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) also confirmed that it would provide INR 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.

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