Victory and celebrations matter, but nothing is more valuable than a human life: Gautam Gambhir

Following the devastating stampede at Bengaluru’s that lost 11 lives during RCB IPL 2025 winning celebrations, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir took to social media to express his strong opinion that authorities should reevaluate the practice of holding public roadshows.

A terrible tragedy occurred on June 4 that was supposed to be a celebration of RCB’s historic first IPL triumph. Over three lakh people flocked to Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for a felicitation ceremony that was first turned down by the authorities. There was a stampede when the large crowd startled the few security guards on duty.

Young fans, some of whom were adolescents, who had come to see their favourite celebrities up close were among the victims. Gambhir discussed the event and asked if festivities are more important than lives before the Indian team leaves for the UK for the next England Test.

“What transpired yesterday was really awful, and my thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost loved ones. According to Cricbuzz, he stated, “I hope that nothing like this will happen in the future because I think we all are responsible citizens and we should take care of all this.”

These roadshows shouldn’t happen if we can’t manage the crowd: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir questioned the necessity of extravagant public displays like roadshows, even as he acknowledged the importance of celebrations following a hard-fought victory. He said that when he was playing, he never saw the point in such open festivities.

“I will keep saying that I believe human lives are considerably more important. We can take certain precautions to avoid hosting these roadshows and could likely hold them in a stadium with closed doors or something similar. In my playing days, I didn’t think much of roadshows. Not only do I not believe in them now, I will continue to do so in the future. Winning and celebrating are essential, but no one’s life is more significant than that. Therefore, it would be better for these roadshows to not happen if we are unprepared or unable to manage the throng in that manner,” he continued.

Notably, Nikhil Sosale, the head of marketing and revenue for RCB, and two senior executives from DNA Entertainment Network, who assisted in event planning, were detained after intense criticism and discussions about poor management. In addition, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah suspended a number of high-ranking police personnel and requested a judicial investigation.