Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Wednesday to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and his RCB teammates after they beat the Punjab Kings in a thrilling IPL final.
But the euphoria of the vast crowds ended in disaster when 11 fans died in a stampede near the city’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the players were parading the trophy.
Most of the dead were young fans aged between 14 and 29 who had gone out just to catch a glimpse of their heroes.
Dozens of abandoned shoes and flip-flops littered the site in the aftermath.
RCB offered financial aid of INR 10 lakh (around R206,000) to each family of those killed.
Indian media have widely reported the team earned $2.3-million (R40.8-million) in prize money alone for taking the title on Wednesday.
“Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do,” RCB said. “We remain united in grief.”
MORE: ‘He died in an RCB shirt’
© Agence France-Presse
