Gujarat Titans Team Bus Catches Fire After IPL Final Loss; Players, Staff Evacuated

Gujarat Titans’ team bus suffered a short circuit and broke down while transporting them back to their hotel following the Indian Premier League (IPL) final in Ahmedabad on Sunday night. The players and support staff escaped unhurt after the fire.

Smoke began spreading inside the vehicle after the electrical fault developed, prompting an immediate evacuation of all passengers as a precautionary measure, news agency PTI reported.

Players Safely Evacuated

All members of the Gujarat Titans contingent were safely evacuated from the bus and no injuries were reported.

The team was forced to wait by the roadside for a short period before an alternative vehicle was arranged to transport them to their hotel.

The incident occurred shortly after the Gujarat Titans suffered a five-wicket defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL final.

The bus breakdown added to a disappointing evening for the Titans, whose title hopes ended with the loss in Ahmedabad.

The franchise had also endured a demanding travel schedule in the lead-up to the final. Gujarat travelled from Dharamsala to Mullanpur on May 27 before facing Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on May 29.

Their return journey to Ahmedabad was further complicated by adverse weather conditions in Mullanpur, delaying their departure on May 30. The team eventually reached Ahmedabad only on Saturday evening.

Solanki Dismisses Fatigue Excuse

Following the defeat, Gujarat Titans Director of Cricket Vikram Solanki declined to attribute the team’s performance to fatigue despite the hectic travel commitments.

“I don’t want to take away from the fact that RCB have won by simply stating that we’ve had this number of games in these short days and we’re fatigued and that’s not really what we’re about,” Solanki said during the post-match press conference.

He acknowledged that Gujarat’s total of 155 for 8 was below par but praised the team’s effort in defending it.

“Admittedly, it was a below par total but they showed great fight to try and defend it. We might make an assessment of what we might have done differently, that’s a given. But I think you’ve got to accept that the opposition sometimes play well as well,” he added.

The Titans’ campaign ended on a disappointing note, with the bus incident capping a challenging final day for the franchise.

(With inputs from news agency PTI)

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