AHMEDABAD: Shortly after making history, becoming only the third captain to win back-to-back Indian Premier League titles, Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper dedicated the second trophy to the 11 fans who died in a stampede during the celebrations in 2025.
Last year, when RCB won their first Indian Premier League title, their loyal fans who had waited 18 years for this moment took to the streets across the country. The celebrations continued all night on June 3, 2025, before extending to the next day in Bengaluru. However, June 4, 2025, turned out to be a day of tragedy. Thousands of fans started assembling through the course of the day for a victory parade, and in the hours that followed, as many as 11 people died in a stampede.
On Sunday, when asked about the fans who lost their lives, Patidar dedicated the trophy to them. "Obviously, you feel bad. You lost your fans after winning the game. Not the fans, they are the family members. But yeah, I always want this trophy to be dedicated to them. And that's it. I don't have words to express that feeling," said Patidar
In the days and months that followed the stampede, M Chinnaswamy Stadium and KSCA came under scrutiny. The state association was asked to regulate and renovate the stadium, improving the safety standards. They missed out on hosting the Women's World Cup and did not host any match until the IPL season opener this year. The franchise dedicated 11 seats at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium have been permanently left empty in remembrance during the season opener in March. The final was supposed to happen in Bengaluru, but later the BCCI announced that it would be held in Ahmedabad.
On Sunday, in the summit clash, RCB came out all guns blazing to beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets, becoming only the third team after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to win the IPL title in consecutive years. And it was Virat Kohli who scored an unbeaten 75 to help them win after the pacers set up the contest.