IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal has clarified that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was completely unaware of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) victory parade, which tragically ended in a deadly stampede near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Eleven lives were lost, and several others were injured as chaos unfolded during what should have been a historic celebration of RCB’s maiden IPL title win.
“We were not informed about any such celebration,” Arun Dhumal said, stressing that the BCCI had no role in organising the event. “We will investigate thoroughly and ensure such incidents are never repeated in the future.”
Dhumal’s comments were echoed by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who acknowledged the limitations of the board when it comes to overseeing franchise-level celebrations.
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“The BCCI doesn’t control private events organized by individual franchises,” Saikia told The Indian Express. “But this should be a wake-up call. We need to rethink how post-tournament celebrations are conducted going forward.”
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Saikia pointed to the stark contrast between the mismanaged Bengaluru celebration and the well-coordinated IPL 2025 final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
“There were 1.32 lakh people inside the stadium, and everything was under control,” he said. “We had robust crowd management protocols, proper police deployment, and not a single safety incident despite a packed house.”
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The tragic events in Bengaluru have not only cast a shadow over RCB’s long-awaited triumph but also raised serious questions about crowd control, communication failures, and accountability. While the BCCI insists it had no direct role in the parade, it has vowed to examine the incident thoroughly and work toward implementing stricter guidelines for post-IPL celebrations to avoid such heartbreak in the future.
