“Silence Wasn’t Absence”: RCB End Social Media Sabbatical With Big Update On Stampede Tragedy

As many as 11 people lost their lives and around 50 people were left injured during the stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Glimpse of the stampede during the victory parade

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s wait for an IPL title finally ended on June 3, when they defeated Punjab Kings by six runs and clinched their maiden title. To celebrate this joyous occasion with their fans, the franchise planned to organise an event at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, however, the celebrations met an unexpected tragedy. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and others reached the venue, giving fans a glimpse of their theier heroes who brought an end to the 18-year wait for the title. However, these celebrations unexpectedly took a dark turn as a fatal stampede broke out outside the stadium.

As many as 11 people lost their lives, and around 50 people were left injured in the stampede. Receiving criticism from all over the world for conducting a poorly managed event, RCB faced severe criticism, FIR, and charges. The franchise decided to maintain absolute silence on social media for the following months, breaking it on August 28.

The Bengaluru-based franchise finally broke its silence and took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the launch of “RCB CARES”, which is meant to deal with grievances and problems of their fans.

Here’s what RCB wrote on X:

“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 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. In that silence, we’ve been grieving. Listening. Learning. And slowly, we’ve begun to build something more than just a response. Something we truly believe in.

“That’s how RCB CARES came to life. It grew out of a need to honour, to heal, and to stand beside our fans. A platform for meaningful action shaped by our community & fans. We return to this space today, not with celebration but with care. To share. To stand with you. To walk forward, together. To continue being the pride of Karnataka. RCB CARES. And we always will. More details soon…”

Earlier on June 5, RCB had also promised to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of all eleven people who lost their lives during the stampede.

Aftermath of the tragedy

The tragedy not only destroyed many lives but also hampered the reputation of the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Mumbai has replaced Bengaluru as one of the five venues for next month’s women’s ODI World Cup due to “unforeseen circumstances”, the ICC announced.

The Chinnaswamy had been declared incapable of hosting big events following an inquiry into the stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations earlier this year.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/ipl-2025/silence-wasnt-absence-rcb-end-social-media-sabbatical-with-big-update-on-stampede-tragedy-9172424