The jubilant atmosphere in Bengaluru celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic maiden IPL title win turned tragic on Wednesday as a massive stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium left over 50 fans injured and at least 11 feared dead. The incident unfolded as thousands of supporters gathered to witness the victory celebrations after RCB’s win over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia expressed sorrow over the incident, stating to media:
“It is very unfortunate. This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured.”
He emphasized the need for stronger planning and coordination during such large-scale events:
“When one organises a victory celebration of this magnitude, proper precautions, safety and security measures need to be taken. There have been some lapses somewhere.
After such a glorious ending to the IPL, this has been an anti climax. There have been IPL celebrations in the past as well, like in Kolkata last year when KKR won but nothing happened there.”
Recalling past successful celebrations, Saikia said:
“Same was the case when we won the T20 World Cup. There was a sea of humanity in Mumbai but nothing happened. Police and local authorities worked in tandem to ensure smooth conduct. I hope nothing more untoward happens.”
“Even yesterday in Ahmedabad, during the IPL final, there were 120,000 people at the stadium but BCCI has a dedicated team which has done elaborate planning in coordination with local district administration and law enforcing authorities to ensure that safety and security of the spectators.”
Earlier in the day, RCB players were welcomed at the airport by Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, as fans gathered in huge numbers lining the streets and crowding near the stadium to get a glimpse of their cricketing idols, including Virat Kohli.
Originally, an open-top bus parade was planned from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium and was permitted by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. However, the crowd soon became unmanageable, forcing authorities to cancel the event. The Bengaluru Traffic Police had already raised concerns over congestion and had advised against the parade.
Chaos erupted as thousands of fans tried to enter the stadium premises, leading to a deadly stampede. The rainy weather further worsened the situation, and visuals circulated online showed overwhelmed crowds, people collapsing, and emergency services rushing to the scene.
In contrast, fans remembered last year’s seamless celebrations for the Indian team’s T20 World Cup win in Mumbai and questioned the lack of coordination this time.
A video shared online showed Virat Kohli holding the trophy, overwhelmed by the sea of fans cheering him on from the streets, unaware of the tragic events unfolding around the stadium.
Virat Kohli's KGF 🥶🔥 pic.twitter.com/3L0wmhfuEX
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) June 4, 2025