Stampede in Bengaluru during RCB celebrations very disappointing: Rahul Dravid

Former India international and head coach Rahul Dravid reacted to the stampede incident at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which killed 11 people and injured over 50. After the Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their maiden IPL title, the franchise announced a celebration including a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium. It invited lakhs of people to the area, and that led to a stampede.

Reflecting on the same, Dravid noted that it was a sad and unfortunate event. He talked about the passion that the people in the city have, and it's not just for cricket but for other sports as well. He added that such an incident shouldn’t have happened and his thoughts were with everyone who has lost their dear ones.

“Very disappointing. It’s very sad. Bengaluru is a sports-passionate city. I come from here. People over here love all sports, not just cricket. They follow all the sports and also all the sporting teams, be it a



football team or a kabaddi team. It’s really heartbreaking that such an unfortunate incident happened. Our thoughts go out to everyone for unfortunately lost their lives and those who were injured. Such a tragedy shouldn’t have happened,” Dravid told NDTV.

After the aftermath, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary A Shankar and Treasurer E S Jairam resigned from their respective position, citing ‘moral responsibility’ for the incident. The KSCA has issued a statement, stating that they will support the government in every possible way in the inspection. On the other hand, Nikhil Sosale, marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was arrested on June 6. 

Meanwhile, Dravid returned to the IPL in 2025 as the head coach of Rajasthan Royals. After relinquishing his position as the head coach of the national team, Dravid penned a deal with Rajasthan but RR failed to qualify for the playoffs under his guidance this year.