BENGALURU – What was supposed to be a joyous celebration for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) winning the IPL 2025 title tragically went wrong on Wednesday. A massive stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru left at least 11 people dead and another 50 injured. The chaos erupted amidst a huge crowd eager to see a bus parade, an event hastily organized just hours after the team’s victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Tuesday’s final. Now, four RCB officials are under arrest in connection with the incident, and among them is Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s head of marketing and revenue.
Police reports indicate Sosale was apprehended at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru around 6:30 AM on Friday, just as he was about to board a flight to Mumbai. The day before, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had ordered the arrest of RCB representatives after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed, including charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. So far, Sosale and three members of the event management company, DNA Entertainment Private Limited, have been taken into custody.
𝗗𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀!
Smriti Mandhana 🤝 Virat Kohli
A special phone call right after the #TATAWPL Triumph! 🏆 ☺️@mandhana_smriti | @imVkohli | @RCBTweets | #Final | #DCvRCB pic.twitter.com/Ee5CDjrRix
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 17, 2024
Nikhil Sosale, Marketing Head at RCB (The 2nd guy from left, Husband of the lady who used to accompany Anushka at Matches) arrested by Bengaluru Police in Stampede case#RCBvsPBKS pic.twitter.com/HzMgkTrfAv
— Em! (@Insane__Emi) June 6, 2025
Nikhil Sosale of RCB arrested from airport..
He is the same guy whose wife rose to fame as Anushka Sharma's bff on ipl match days..now u know why Kohli and Anushka ran to london. #ArrestKohli pic.twitter.com/z1fJF0apij
— Saurabh (@sirothiasaurabh) June 6, 2025
But who exactly is Nikhil Sosale, and what’s his connection to RCB?
According to his LinkedIn profile, Sosale, born on August 18, 1986, has served as RCB’s marketing and revenue chief for nearly two years. Interestingly, he’s primarily an employee of Diageo India, which oversees United Spirits Limited (USL) – the company that owns RCB. USL took over full ownership of the team after former owner Vijay Mallya stepped away.
Sosale appears to be a key figure in shaping the RCB brand, a team that’s undeniably one of the most popular in the IPL. Based in Bengaluru, he’s been with Diageo for 13 years, consistently working closely with the franchise throughout that time. During his tenure, Sosale also held the position of head of business partnerships at RCB. You’d often spot him in the RCB private boxes alongside Virat Kohli’s wife, Anushka Sharma. In fact, Kohli himself follows Sosale on Instagram, and Sosale’s wife, Malvika Nayak, is a long-time friend of Anushka’s.
Sosale’s presence isn’t limited to the men’s team; he’s been seen at various events tied to both RCB’s men’s and women’s squads. He was right there celebrating when RCB won the Women’s Premier League (WPL) title in 2024 and has also been a fixture with the franchise during IPL auctions.
Academically, Sosale holds a Double Major from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.
Given his extensive involvement in RCB’s marketing and business strategy over several years, it’s plausible that Sosale had a hand in planning and executing the bus parade meant to celebrate the franchise’s very first IPL title. He likely also played a role in communications between the players and other franchise officials. Notably, RCB continued their celebrations inside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, even as the tragic events unfolded just outside its gates.
Eventually, the celebration program was reportedly cut short. RCB released a statement acknowledging the stampede deaths several hours after the incident on Wednesday.
Police confirmed the arrests were the result of an overnight operation led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Akshay from the Central Crime Branch. The arrested individuals are expected to be transferred to the Crime Investigation Department today.
