Latest news with #EeSalaCupNamde
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
The Year the Sporting Curse Ended: How South Africa, RCB, Tottenham Hotspur, and PSG broke their trophy droughts
The Year the Sporting Curse Ended: How South Africa, RCB, Tottenham Hotspur, and PSG broke their trophy droughts There are curses—and then there are decades-long emotional torture chambers disguised as sports fandoms. In 2025, four of the world's most tormented sets of supporters—Tottenham Hotspur romantics, South African cricket loyalists, PSG dreamers, and RCB devotees—finally tasted the rarest of flavours: victory after a generation of failure, heartbreak, and humiliation. This was no mere collection of wins—it was a collective spiritual cleansing. Each fan base had, in its own way, made peace with despair. Spurs fans could quote Sol Campbell's betrayal and Lasagne-gate with the fluency of scripture. South Africans had seen their golden generations crumble in ICC knockouts with existential regularity. PSG ultras endured more memes than medals, mocked for bottling Europe's biggest prize despite petro-billions. And RCB? RCB had become a punchline so popular it transcended cricket—'Ee Sala Cup Namde' becoming both slogan and satire. But in 2025, the gods of sport blinked. The underachievers became champions. And the hopeless dared to believe again. Tottenham Hotspur – When 'Spursy' Died in Bilbao On 21 May 2025, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester United 1–0 in the UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao. Brennan Johnson's deflected strike in the 42nd minute was the sort of goal that normally happens to Spurs—not for them. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 年最紓壓的農場遊戲！無需安裝 東加：島嶼農場 立即播放 Undo But this time, the footballing universe cracked open. It was their first major silverware in 17 years. Their first European trophy since 1984. And they had done it while finishing 17th in the Premier League. Ange Postecoglou, the relentlessly optimistic Aussie, engineered a European campaign that was equal parts desperation and defiance. Son Heung-min, now club captain and cult deity, summed it up with quiet satisfaction: 'Let's say I'm a legend.' The bottle jobs had finally bottled the right thing. South Africa – Test Cricket's Ultimate Redemption Story South Africa's sporting trauma is well-documented. From the '99 semi-final run-out to Duckworth-Lewis disasters, they have been cricket's perennial heartbreakers. But at Lord's in June 2025, they rewrote history. Aiden Markram scored 136. Kagiso Rabada ripped through Australia with 5 wickets. And Temba Bavuma, injured and unyielding, guided them to victory in the World Test Championship final. It was their first ICC title since 1998. But more than that—it was the moment the word 'chokers' was put to rest, not with a whimper, but with five days of clinical, purposeful cricket. Paris Saint-Germain – More Than Just Oil and Illusion For years, PSG were the bloated cartoon villain of European football. Too much money. Too little heart. Neymar rolled. Messi wandered. Mbappé ran. But in May 2025, they demolished Inter Milan 5–0 in the Champions League final. Not with galácticos, but with a coherent, hungry squad led by Désiré Doué and Senny Mayulu—homegrown talent replacing high-priced ego. Luis Enrique deserves credit for turning a vanity project into a functioning team. PSG weren't just winning—they were playing as if the badge finally meant something. This wasn't bought. This was built. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – The Joke That Became Justice RCB fans are made of tougher stuff than most. Since 2008, they've watched their side flirt with glory and fall apart like a Netflix series in its third season. The IPL trophy was always somewhere else—never in Bengaluru. Until 3 June 2025. Virat Kohli, after 18 years of being Indian cricket's lightning rod, lifted the trophy at last. RCB beat Punjab Kings in a nervy final, sealed by Krunal Pandya's tight death overs and a disciplined team performance. The viewership broke records—169 million watched RCB's pain finally pay off. For once, 'Ee Sala Cup Namde' was not a meme. It was fact. What Tied the Triumphs Together What ties these four unlikely triumphs together isn't luck—it's the slow, brutal process of rebuilding under pressure, mocked all the way. Each team had suffered for years, sometimes decades, with fan bases more familiar with memes than medals. But in 2025, they didn't just show up—they matured. Structural patience paid off: Spurs moved past their inferiority complex, South Africa stopped choking when it counted, PSG stopped buying stars and built a system, and RCB finally played like a team rather than a collection of YouTube highlights. These weren't flukes. They were the result of coherent leadership, balanced squads, and the rarest thing in sport—composure when it actually matters. Each of them rewrote their narrative in the one place their ghosts always emerged: the final. The Verdict 2025 was the year failure took a holiday. The year the memes were buried and the tears finally turned into beer showers. Spurs, South Africa, PSG, RCB—teams with cursed histories, mocked fan bases, and scarred legends—finally got their happy endings. Not because the universe owed them. But because they all, somehow, got their act together when it mattered most. And maybe, just maybe, hope is a better strategy than it gets credit for.
First Post
10-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Bengaluru V Punjab: Can Virat Kohli Break 18-Year IPL Curse? First Sports With Rupha Ramani
Bengaluru V Punjab: Can Virat Kohli Break 18-Year IPL Curse? | First Sports With Rupha Ramani | N18G Bengaluru V Punjab: Can Virat Kohli Break 18-Year IPL Curse? | First Sports With Rupha Ramani | N18G The IPL 2025 Final is finally here — and it's a showdown no one saw coming: Bengaluru V Punjab. Two franchises with passionate fan bases and years of heartbreak now face off for their maiden Indian Premier League title. Bengaluru, led by the ever-determined Virat Kohli, is chasing glory after 18 long years of waiting. With emotions running high and superstition in the air — including fans conducting havans and chanting "Ee Sala Cup Namde" — this final carries more weight than most. Meanwhile, Punjab fans are already celebrating their first final in over a decade, but will they go all the way? Rupha Ramani breaks down the historical context, legacy moments, fan emotions, and why this final could mark the beginning of a new era in IPL history. See More
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Lessons and questions from Bengaluru stampede tragedy that took 11 young lives
The stampede near Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which claimed the lives of 11 young people, most of them under 30, stands as one of the city's most heartbreaking and wholly avoidable tragedies in recent memory. Known once as the "Pensioner's Paradise," Bengaluru now finds itself in national headlines for reasons both mundane and tragic. But this — a stampede linked to a cricket celebration — is something the city was neither prepared for nor accustomed to. When Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally lifted their maiden IPL trophy after 18 years, it was a moment of uncontainable joy for fans. The team's signature chant, "Ee Sala Cup Namde", had finally turned into reality. The fatal events unfolded within less than 24 hours of RCB's title win. Without any clear coordination between the RCB management, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and the state government, an open-top bus parade was publicly announced by RCB early on June 4. The rally was set to start from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy Stadium — right through Bengaluru's busiest Central Business District. Also Read - Ramachandra Guha slams Karnataka government: 'Top cop made a scapegoat in Bengaluru tragedy' But here lies the first big question, 'Was the Bengaluru Police informed?". RCB's announcement of the 'Victory Parade' appeared to have caught city police off guard. Just two hours later, police issued a public statement saying the parade was cancelled. To add to the confusion, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar welcomed the RCB team at the airport and took them to Vidhana Soudha, further fueling assumptions that celebrations were still on. Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, present with her husband Virat Kohli, even posted videos of the massive crowd chasing the team bus, calling the experience 'unbelievable.' Also Read - Karnataka CM's political secretary K Govindaraj sacked amid Bengaluru stampede outrage
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Express View on Bengaluru stampede: 11 too many
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced an inquiry into the stampede that claimed 11 lives and left more than 40 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fans injured Wednesday. If the probe has to fix accountability for the horrific incident in Bengaluru, it needs to take an unsparing look at the role of the state government, cricket association, the team management, and the board — all whose job it was to ensure that the city could celebrate safely and the champion cricketers were adequately shielded. It's hard to be convinced by the logic of these authorities that they didn't anticipate the crowd to swell to many times the 35,000-capacity of Chinnaswamy Stadium. For, no special intelligence was needed here. The RCB fans had waited for 18 years to see their team on the winner's podium. The emotive power of the victory was heightened by the fact that team superstar Virat Kohli is in the twilight of his career. As soon as the game ended, Bengaluru streets echoed with Ee Sala Cup Namde (this time the cup is ours). The political class rushed in to own the triumph, glint in its reflected glory. To this, add the early announcement by RCB on free passes that would never have been enough, police alerts going unnoticed, the on-off open-top bus parade cancelled at the last minute – the perfect storm for an accident. No wonder when the stampede happened, missing was someone in charge, someone to help, even as the felicitation ceremony, attended by the entire state government, including CM Siddaramaiah and his Deputy D K Shivakumar, seemed to be happening in another world altogether. The BCCI has been quick to sidestep its responsibility. Technically, it has a point – the state and local administration were responsible for the event. But since every IPL player, Indian or foreign, signs a contract with BCCI as one of the parties, along with the franchise, the board can't distance itself from this tragedy. In a polarised discourse, the deaths acquire a political colour: Stampede under BJP vs stampede under Congress. Let social media warriors fight that out. What needs to be underlined is that the many triumphs of Indian cricket have many claimants: players; those who bid for them; those who crowd the dug-out; sport bodies; the political class and, of course, Mr Mallya, the fugitive, too. But who is responsible and accountable for the welfare of the fan, ecstatic one time, crushed at another, always vulnerable? From the 14-year-old schoolgirl to the 19-year-old college student, the 26-year-old engineer to the accountant who took a day off with her husband to mark the victory – the 11 lives lost are 11 too many. The world's richest cricket tournament can't cut corners when it comes to fans' safety. A fitting tribute to those dead, therefore, is not mere signing a cheque but holding those in charge responsible. Ensuring that heads roll, and those who dropped the ball Wednesday are made to pay.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Death at a stadium
RCB celebrations turned into a tragedy yesterday, but it was an entirely preventable one Life is cheap in India, it is commonly said. It feels cruel. It also feels true all too often. How true it is of what happened at M Chinnaswamy Stadium yesterday. Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans had waited 18 years for their team to win the IPL trophy. Their excitement was palpable even to those watching from far cities, Delhi to London. Dream fulfilled, mission accomplished, nirvana…the rejoicing messages were unending. Siddaramaiah to DK Shivakumar to HD Kumaraswamy to Vijayendra Yediyurappa…proud cheers poured in from across the state's political spectrum. Ee Sala Cup Namde! This year the cup is ours. That massive numbers would pour into any celebratory space was a no-brainer. Then came the stampede. And the deaths. Of course these were entirely preventable. Bengaluru traffic police had initially said that the victory parade was cancelled and then said it had made 'preparations in case it happens'. If it had indeed done so, the stadium wouldn't have gotten packed far beyond capacity. Indeed, various authorities could have actioned steps to prevent uncontrollable crowds from approaching the venue. The Bengaluru metro was running overcrowded, for example, issuing frequent warning announcements. Social media was also full of live images and videos that should have initiated safety measures in various control rooms. Every part of govt seemed to have participated in cheering the RCB victory. Which part of it will take responsibility for turning the cheers into tears? Just over the past year, we have seen stampedes take lives of Kumbh travellers at the New Delhi railway station, at a Dalit gathering in Hathras, a devotees queue in Tirupati, a Pushpa 2 promotional event in Hyderabad, and the list continues. Because basic crowd management is missing, ordinary activities are always on the edge of a deadly pileup. Govt doesn't do its job, and citizens pay with their lives. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
