Royal Challengers Bengaluru바카라s victory celebrations following their maiden IPL 2025 title ended in heartbreak, as a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium reportedly claimed at least 11 lives. What was meant to be a jubilant occasion turned tragic, with massive crowds spiralling out of control.
Since RCB lifted the trophy, the streets of Bengaluru had been in a frenzy, with fans flooding the roads to revel in the historic win. The announcement of a victory parade on Wednesday evening only intensified the excitement, prompting thousands to gather near the stadium from early morning. The overwhelming turnout, however, quickly descended into chaos, turning celebration into tragedy.
The franchise also released a statement on social media.
Despite repeated alerts from the police and traffic authorities on social media, urging fans to stay orderly and advising against an open bus parade from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the situation spiralled out of control.
According to a report in the Deccan Herald, both the RCB management and the state government had been cautioned well in advance about the risks of holding a celebration on Wednesday, especially with emotions running high after the title win.
The police had reportedly advised postponing the event until the weekend, hoping the frenzy would subside. However, RCB were reluctant to delay the parade, citing the departure of overseas players as a key concern if it was held later.
"We tried to discourage the government as well as the RCB franchise from Tuesday night against having any celebrations on Wednesday. We told them it would be ill-advised and recommended holding the event next Sunday when emotions would have cooled down," a police official was quoted as saying in the report.
바카라We told them not to take out any procession, but to conduct the event in a single location in an organised manner. Bring the players to the stadium, celebrate there, and wrap it up,바카라 the officer added, stressing the need for crowd control.
With the IPL schedule already delayed by over a week due to the Indo-Pak conflict, RCB were under pressure to release their overseas players for upcoming international fixtures. This logistical constraint, according to officials, left organisers with little room to postpone the celebration.
"Their argument was that the players, especially the foreigners, would leave today or tomorrow," the officer said, highlighting the franchise's urgency.
He also pointed to the political stakes involved: "Naturally, the government would want to take mileage out of it. If the government had refused, that would have led to another kind of chaos."
Describing the relentless demands placed on the city's security apparatus, he said, "On Tuesday, till 5.30 am, all our staff, from the police commissioner to constables, were on the streets and completely exhausted. It was total madness. This kind of frenzy we have never seen."
Ever since the IPL 2025 final, everything surrounding it has stayed firmly in the spotlight. In a high-octane clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their 17-season wait to claim their maiden IPL title.
Chasing a target of 191, Punjab Kings were rocked early when captain Shreyas Iyer fell for just 1 off 2 balls, edging a loose shot off Romario Shepherd. The reckless dismissal turned out to be a pivotal moment in the match, as Punjab ultimately fell short by six runs in a tense finish.
