GT players, staff evacuated from team bus after mid-road breakdown

Gujarat Titans' disappointing IPL final loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru was followed by a safety scare on Sunday night when players and support staff were forced to evacuate their team bus after a short circuit caused the vehicle to break down.

According to PTI, smoke spread inside the bus while it was transporting the team back to their hotel after the five-wicket defeat. All players and staff exited safely, with no injuries reported. The squad waited by the roadside for a brief period before a replacement bus was arranged.

The incident capped a difficult few days for the Titans, who had endured a demanding travel schedule heading into the final. The team travelled from Dharamsala to Mullanpur for Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals before weather-related disruptions delayed their return to Ahmedabad, where they arrived only on Saturday evening.

The hectic schedule prompted questions about whether fatigue contributed to GT's underwhelming batting performance, which saw them post just 155/8 in the title clash.

GT director of cricket Vikram Solanki, however, refused to use tiredness as an excuse.

"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," Solanki said after the match.

"Admittedly, it was a below-par total, but they showed great fight to try and defend it. You've got to accept that the opposition sometimes play well as well," he added.

While the bus incident ended without injuries, it served as a dramatic postscript to a night that Gujarat Titans will be eager to forget.

With PTI inputs