The celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL 2025 title victory turned tragic on June 4 near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede resulted in 11 deaths and over 40 injuries. The team had just ended an 18-year wait for the trophy by defeating Punjab Kings, prompting huge fan enthusiasm across Bengaluru.
Despite local authorities denying permission for the planned open-top bus parade from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium, over 200,000 fans gathered around the stadium area to catch a glimpse of the victorious team. Entry to the stadium was restricted to pass holders, but massive crowds without access swarmed the premises.
The tragedy unfolded near the Cubbon Park Metro Station, where a temporary slab covering a drain collapsed under the pressure of the crowd. This caused panic and triggered a stampede. Compounding the chaos, a large group of predominantly young men blocked the road to dance, effectively trapping others who were trying to move in different directions. The crowd’s movement became uncontrollable, and many young fans—especially girls and some teenage boys—were trampled in the ensuing crush. Notably, no security personnel were stationed in this critical area; security presence was limited only to the gates.
In the aftermath, the injured were rushed inside the stadium for first aid and hospital transfers. Ambulance availability was severely limited—only two were deployed inside the stadium—forcing security staff to carry unconscious victims on foot through blocked roads for nearly 500 meters to find open traffic routes for hospital transport.
Eyewitness accounts describe a chaotic scene where conflicting flows of people moved in opposite directions, while a third group blocked the middle of the road with dancing and shouting, creating a dangerous bottleneck. Larger adults managed to survive the crush, but vulnerable groups like women and teenagers were tragically overwhelmed.
RCB promptly modified their fan interaction event following the incident, emphasizing that safety and well-being remain their top priority. The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, admitted organizational lapses but clarified that the cricket board was not involved in event management. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal also stated that the board had not been informed about the event’s organizers.
Earlier in the day, the RCB team was felicitated by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Vidhana Soudha, and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had welcomed them at the airport before joining the evening celebrations.
The tragic stampede casts a shadow over what was meant to be a joyous celebration of RCB’s long-awaited IPL triumph and raises urgent questions about crowd control and event management in large-scale sporting festivities.
