Bengaluru stampede: Who are four RCB, DNA officials arrested by police

New Delhi: In the wake of the tragic stampede that killed 11 people outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025 victory celebrations on June 4, Bengaluru Police have arrested four key individuals, including a top RCB executive and three event managers.

On Friday, RCB’s Head of Marketing and Revenue, Nikhil Sosale, was arrested by Bengaluru Police while attempting to board a flight to Mumbai at Kempegowda International Airport.

Sosale, a senior figure in RCB’s business operations, is believed to have played a pivotal role in planning the team’s victory parade and stadium celebration.

Three DNA entertainment executives held

Along with Sosale, police arrested three executives from DNA Entertainment Networks—the firm in charge of organizing the event:

• Kiran Kumar, Senior Event Manager

• Sunil Mathew, Vice President – Business Affairs

• Sumanth (full name not disclosed), who heads ticketing operations at DNA

These arrests come amid growing criticism over the lack of crowd management and ticket control, which led to the deadly stampede.

Who is Nikhil Sosale?

Sosale has led RCB’s marketing and revenue initiatives for over two years, including its campaigns in both the IPL and Women’s Premier League (WPL). He is employed by Diageo India, which operates United Spirits Limited—the company that owns RCB following Vijay Mallya’s exit.

A graduate of James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, Sosale has often been seen in RCB’s social media posts and television broadcasts during matches. As a key figure in RCB’s business strategy, authorities believe he may have coordinated logistics for the bus parade and been involved in liaising with police and government officials.

DNA executives have long history with the company

• Kiran Kumar has worked at DNA Entertainment Networks since 2012, overseeing large-scale event management.

• Sunil Mathew, arrested alongside him, has been with DNA since 2000 and currently serves as its VP for Business Affairs.

• Sumanth, though less publicly known, plays a critical role in ticketing—an aspect central to the investigation, as the chaos was allegedly triggered by crowds unable to secure passes.

KSCA officials also under police scanner

In addition to the four arrests, police have issued lookout notices for Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary A. Shankar and Treasurer Jayaram. Several other RCB and DNA officials are also under investigation for their roles in the planning and execution of the event that turned deadly.

Authorities continue to probe whether lapses in coordination between organisers and law enforcement contributed to the stampede that turned a historic celebration into a national tragedy.