A Night to Remember—And a Lesson We Must Never Forget
My first blog in 14 years.
After more than a decade, I find myself drawn back here—not by nostalgia, but by a deep sense of emotion. Last night was historic. RCB finally lifted the IPL trophy after 18 long years. The wait was painful, the journey relentless, and the victory... euphoric.
It was more than just a win. It was about hope, perseverance, belief, and every drop of sweat each player poured into the game. The team showed us what it means to believe and keep going—even when the world writes you off.
This should have been a day of undiluted celebration.
But it wasn’t.
Because at the very heart of this celebration, 11 people lost their lives—according to reports as of 9:00 PM on June 4th, 2025.
Yes, 11 lives—fans—perished in a tragedy that unfolded just outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. And the more we look at it, the more it feels like a failure that could have been prevented.
Did the Cricket Association do enough?
A final of this magnitude demands planning and foresight. Were proper crowd control protocols in place? Was there a contingency for overcrowding?
Where were the police and administration?
Were they prepared for the size and intensity of the crowd? Were security personnel adequately briefed and resourced?
And what about us—the fans?
Videos show chaos—people pushing through gates, climbing trees, breaking barriers. Is this what passion for a team looks like? When admiration becomes aggression, we lose the very spirit of the game.
This was not an act of fate—it was a collective breakdown of accountability. And while the trophy was finally held high, the joy was short-lived. The images of celebration now sit beside the sobering news of loss.
As someone returning to this space after 14 years, I had hoped to write about the game—the strategy, the moments of brilliance, the long-awaited victory. I wanted to celebrate RCB’s triumph, relive the magic, and share in the collective joy of fans like me.
But instead, I find myself writing this with a heavy heart, gripped by pain and disbelief.
Maybe that’s what writing truly is—not just capturing the highs, but also giving voice to the heartbreak, the grief, and the difficult questions we must never stop asking.
Who is responsible?
Who will answer?
And what will we do differently, next time?
RCB won.
But we lost something too.
And we must ensure that’s never repeated.
— Prajin Ravindran
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