"We're done with such felicitations" - When Gautam Gambhir expressed disappointment at handling of celebrations in Kolkata post KKR's 2014 IPL triumph
The state of West Bengal erupted in joy after Gautam Gambhir led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their second title in two years after a dramatic final against the Kings XI Punjab at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The title triumph was followed by a grand felicitation ceremony at the Eden Gardens for the Men in Purple and Gold.
However, the pure passion of the millions of fans in the city, coupled with the fact that there was free entry, meant that a swarm assembled at the venue to witness their cricketing heroes as well as Shah Rukh Khan. It proved difficult for the security personnel to contain the sea of people, resulting in ugly scenes of police brutality being used.
According to reports, as many as one lakh people had turned up to witness the ceremony. Crowds began to pile up hours before the official time of the ceremony, and things could have been a lot uglier had it not been controlled in time.
Later on, the title-winning skipper Gautam Gambhir expressed his frustration over how the event transpired, and called for the end of such functions in the future.
"I must say I was disappointed by the inconvenience KKR's felicitation ceremony caused to Kolkatans. As it is cricket fans in India, who are the most important stakeholders, are not treated well. To make matters worse there was lathicharge on innocents. God-willing my KKR team wins many more trophies but as far as I am concerned we're done with such felicitations," Gambhir had written in his column for the Hindustan Times (via ESPN Cricinfo).
KKR's third title win, a decade later, evoked much more subdued celebrations as the majority of the squad members had to link up with their international sides ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
RCB's IPL 2025 title celebrations ended up being an escalated version of KKR's win in 2014
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) announced an imminent trophy parade in the city the very next day after ending their dreaded 18-year wait for the IPL title. However, security forces were not prepared for the gathering that took over the city by storm.
What ensued was a massive tragedy in the form of a stampede, where 11 people died, and many more sustained injuries. The BCCI are expected to raise this issue in the upcoming Apex Council Meeting on June 14, so that such instances can be avoided in the future.