The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have officially addressed the issue of the stampede of June 4 which made their historic IPL 2025 triumph into a shattered dream. Celebrations in Bengaluru got out of hand just a day after they had won their maiden title as 11 fans were killed and 56 others injured.
RCB statement after three months
RCB finally spoke after 84 days, releasing an emotional statement that saw the release of an initiative named RCB Cares. The franchise replied that they were not silent because they were indifferent but because they were grieving. They said that the tragedy was a heartbreaker and has changed how they interact with their fans.
“The Silence wasn’t Absence. It was Grief. This space was once filled with energy, memories and moments that you enjoyed the most. But June 4th changed everything. That day broke our hearts, and the silence since then has been our way of holding space,” RCB posted on their X handle.
Dear 12th Man Army, this is our heartfelt letter to you!
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.
The Silence wasn’t Absence. It was Grief.
This space was once filled with energy, memories and moments that you… pic.twitter.com/g0lOXAuYbd
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) August 28, 2025
The message was supplemented with the fact that this break was characterized with a time of grieving, listening and learning before coming up with something meaningful to the community. They said that RCB Cares was conceived in memory of lost lives, to heal and demonstrate that they are with their supporters.
Stampede during RCB IPL celebrations
The festivities in the area of the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru soon became tragic as huge numbers of people assembled to celebrate the much-anticipated title of RCB. What would have been an otherwise happy event escalated into panic which caused the death of 11 and injuries to dozens more.
Party-inside continued, and party-outside turned into mourning and destruction. The suddenness of it left fans around the country in shock and wondering how such loss could be done to such a historic day.
Government and public criticism of RCB
After the event, RCB declared 10 lakh financial aid to families of the dead and the injured via the RCB Cares fund. Nevertheless, critics claimed that these gestures were more of a way to deal with the people in the streets instead of showing empathy.
Karnataka government blamed the franchise on planning and safety lapses. To thousands of fans, the brief condolence note issued by the team immediately after the tragedy was not satisfactory. Worse was the lack of response, the silence that ensued, almost three months, which abandoned supporters.
RCB Cares initiative moving forward
Under their new program, RCB states that they will be returning to this space not to celebrate but to take care. The team vowed to support fans, regain confidence and remain the pride of Karnataka. At the end of their message they promised: RCB CARES. And we always will.”
