RCB drummer Deva, a fixture at Chinnaswamy Stadium since the first match, dies aged 64

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), one of the best-known teams in the IPL, have suffered a big blow. The team's drummer, Deva, has died. He had been with the team since the first match played at Chinnaswamy Stadium. He breathed his last at midnight on Sunday after a long illness.

RCB shared on social media several photographs of Deva playing the drum, along with an emotional caption. Deva had been with the team for a long time. He had contracted an illness that worsened to the point that he could not recover from it. The RCB management said Deva was an important part of the RCB family.

The management wrote in the caption that, whether it was the memorable moments since the first match at Chinnaswamy Stadium or Deva's drumming, he had been a distinct part of the match-day experience for RCB. It also said that the team lost Deva at midnight on Sunday, at the age of 64, due to health-related reasons.

Deva was affectionately known as the Kannada "Sivamani". RCB said the sound of his instrument would always echo in Chinnaswamy Stadium and would also be part of RCB folklore. The team paid tribute in the words: "Thank you for entertaining us for many years, may your soul rest in peace."

Bengaluru won their first title in 2025. The franchise lifted the trophy after a wait of 18 years, under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar. Before that, many stalwarts, starting with Virat Kohli, had led the franchise but could not win the title for the team.

Patidar's captaincy did not stop there. In the following season, this year in 2026, he again won the trophy. The franchise will now want to win the title for a third time in a row. It will be interesting to see how RCB perform as defending champions in the coming season.