Nikhil Sosale, the marketing head of Royal Challengers Bangalore, was arrested by police. This came after 11 people died in the chaos following the team’s IPL win. Police had earlier filed an FIR against the RCB franchise, event management company DNA Entertainment Networks, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association.
Sosale was caught trying to flee the city. He had announced a victory parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy without police permission. Despite police objections, he didn’t remove the post, misleading fans.
He claimed free tickets would be given out at Gate 9 and 10 at 1 pm, but that never happened, causing a crowd buildup. Another post said stadium entry would start at 3 pm, adding to the confusion.
Only three of 22 gates were opened, allegedly on Sosale’s instructions. All announcements were made through RCB’s official social media handles, overseen by Sosale’s team.
Sosale is the head of marketing and revenue for RCB at Diageo India. He has been spotted with Virat Kohli and was seen sitting with Anushka Sharma in the stands.
On LinkedIn, he’s listed as having led RCB’s business and commercial operations. He was head of business partnerships until 2023 and has been head of marketing and revenue since September 2023.