RCB for sale again after a stampede of IPL victory ceremony? BCCI’s showcase notice makes a big disclosure

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) may have lifted their first-ever IPL trophy just a month ago, but the celebrations have since spiralled into controversy after controversy. And now, their future is at risk as well. While some people are calling for a complete ban on the franchise, the matter is way more tricky than it seems.

RCB solely at fault for tragic stampede?

Following the tragic stampede during RCB’s victory celebrations on June 4 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru — which claimed 11 lives and left over 50 injured — the franchise has come under intense scrutiny. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has now squarely placed the blame on RCB, stating that the franchise failed to seek necessary police permissions before announcing the public event. CAT observed that this led to a massive and unregulated crowd of 3–5 lakh people gathering, catching the local police completely off guard.

The Tribunal held that the onus lay with RCB for failing to coordinate with the authorities, which resulted in inadequate security arrangements and, ultimately, the fatal stampede.

BCCI sends a showcase notice to RCB

Adding to the fire, RCB’s marketing head, Nikhil Sosale, was arrested by Bengaluru Police in connection with the incident. And now, the BCCI Ombudsman Justice (Retd) Arun Mishra has stepped in, issuing a showcause notice to both RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), asking them to file written replies on allegations of “gross negligence” and “violation of safety norms”.

What raises interest further is Justice Mishra’s observation in the showcause letter that RCB may be attempting to distance itself from the incident through an ownership change. This comes just weeks after Bloomberg reported that Diageo Plc, RCB’s parent company, was considering selling part or all of its stake, seeking a valuation close to $2 billion (₹17,132 crore). Although Diageo publicly denied any such plans in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange, BCCI’s notice says otherwise.