Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a Rs 8,600-crore franchise, offers Rs 10L for each dead fan; senior management vanishes from public view

BENGALURU: Conspicuous by their absence as the tragedy that killed 11 passionate fans unfolded in the city was Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) senior management. An anodyne press release with the usual "we are deeply anguished… our heartfelt condolences" was put out late Wednesday night. Nobody — not the head of the franchise or owner of the franchise (United Spirits) or its parent Diageo — had anything to say to the stunned fanbase that had suffered such horrific deaths, injuries and trauma.This, from a team that has repeatedly acknowledged the power and support of its fanbase and called it its ‘12th man'.As per the Forbes report of 2022, RCB's valuation is over a billion dollars (Rs 8,600 crore at current exchange rates). On Wednesday, along with Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), it offered each of the deceased fans Rs 5 lakh. It's unclear whether it was a joint offering or otherwise. Seeing the mood shift on Thursday, it upped the figure to Rs 10 lakh or $11,627 as per Thursday's exchange rates. The current valuation of RCB will be much higher than the 2022 figure and will go up even more given Tuesday's victory. It had revenues of Rs 635 crore in FY 2023-24 and made a profit of Rs 222 crore.Netizens were furious over the paltry compensation announced by RCB and KSCA, with many demanding that each of the families be given at least Rs 1 crore. Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya emphasised that RCB management should "show commitment to their fans and generously support the families of those who came to cheer for them".Most IPL franchise owners are well-known in the country and are the very visible face of their teams. After Vijay Mallya's exit from the country and the company, being owned by a corporate, perhaps, never suited the RCB franchise better than on Wednesday when they could hide behind corporate anonymity.A few RCB players like Bengaluru boy Mayank Agarwal have expressed sincere condolences. This is not to say that the players and staff are not affected by the tragedy. Just that many expensive manhours must have been billed by RCB's PR and brand management teams to advise them to practically say nothing and do nothing till the dust is settled.However, now with FIRs being filed against both RCB and KSCA and govt ordering arrests of senior officials of both entities, the tide has turned.A comical scene unfolded on TV cameras Thursday morning. A reporter is seen chasing a bunch of men saying, "Who is a KSCA official?" and the guy in front of the group points to one behind and says, "He's the one." The guy doing the pointing was the head of RCB, who people failed to recognise!