Meet Nikhil Sosale; know why did police book RCB official after the Bengaluru stampede disaster?

RCB's IPL 2025 win was followed by a tragedy. A bus parade to celebrate the victory in Bengaluru turned deadly. A stampede outside the stadium killed 11 people and injured 56. Four RCB officials, including a marketing head, have been arrested as the police investigate what happened.

On Friday morning, the Bengaluru Police arrested Nikhil Sosale, marketing head for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Diageo India, and three other individuals from DNA Entertainment Networks in connection with the stampede that occurred during RCB's IPL victory celebrations on Wednesday.

Following the tragic stampede during RCB's IPL victory celebrations, the Bengaluru Police, acting on the orders of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, arrested Nikhil Sosale, RCB's marketing head, at the Bengaluru airport while he was attempting to travel to Mumbai. Also detained were three officials from DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd: Sunil Mathew (director and vice president), Sumatnth (ticketing official), and Kiran Kumar (manager). In response to the incident, the state government suspended several top police officials, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, and established a one-man judicial commission, led by retired Karnataka High Court judge Justice Michael D'Cunha, to investigate the case within 30 days.

The stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during celebrations following RCB's first-ever IPL championship victory against Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The tragedy unfolded during a victory parade that was initially denied permission by the Bengaluru Police.

Despite the initial denial, RCB announced on social media at 3 PM that the parade would proceed from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at 5pm.

About Nikhil Sosale

Nikhil Sosale, born August 18, 1986, has been the marketing and revenue head of RCB for the past two years, as per his LinkedIn profile. Sosale is an employee of Diageo India, the parent company of RCB owner United Spirits Limited (USL), which took full ownership of RCB after Vijay Mallya's departure.

He completed a Double Major in Business from James Cook University between 2008 and 2010. Sosale, often seen with Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli's wife, during RCB games throughout the 2025 season, has a private Instagram profile followed by both Kohli and Sharma. He is married to Malvika Nayak. In response to the tragic stampede, RCB announced financial aid for the 11 families affected.

Latest update about the case

Nikhil Sosale, RCB's Marketing and Revenue Head, has filed a plea in the Karnataka High Court to contest his arrest concerning the recent stampede at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, according to Bar and Bench. Sosale claims his arrest was unlawful, arbitrary, and violated his fundamental rights. He is requesting the Court to declare his arrest illegal and to order his release from custody. This legal action follows the tragic events at the stadium, where a stampede occurred, leading to significant public outcry and scrutiny of the event's management. Sosale's petition reflects his defense against the charges and his challenge to the legality of his detention.

Why Virat is being trolled

Following the tragic incident, social media users are calling for Virat Kohli's arrest, with #ArrestKohli trending on Twitter. After RCB's victory, Kohli was reportedly seen at Mumbai airport and is said to have left for London. A social media user questioned the situation, comparing it to the case of Allu Arjun in "Pushpa 2" and suggesting a disparity in the application of law for VIPs.

"It is clear from the timing of the Petitioner's arrest, which is evidently the result of an oral directive of the Hon'ble Chief Minister to arrest various RCB officials - that too, in the absence of any investigation whatsoever - that the Petitioner's arrest is motivated and an attempt to shift the blame of the tragedy to RCSPL and its officials," reads Sosale's petition, reported Bar and Bench.