What should have been a historic, jubilant day for Royal Challengers Bengaluru turned into a harrowing nightmare as a deadly stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left 33 others injured. The euphoria of winning their first-ever IPL title in 18 years was overshadowed by chaos, poor planning, and heartbreak. June 4 was supposed to be a day of joy for RCB fans. After nearly two decades of heartbreak and near misses, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had finally etched their name on the IPL trophy with a stunning win over Punjab Kings.
The entire city was ready to erupt in celebration, but unfortunately, the excitement spiralled into tragedy. According to reports, confusion regarding the victory parade’s schedule created a dangerous situation on the streets of Bengaluru. Initially, traffic police denied permission for a victory parade due to congestion concerns. But around 3:15 PM, RCB’s management reversed course and announced that the victory parade would begin at 5 PM from Vidhana Soudha and end at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
This last-minute announcement led to a massive influx of fans gathering near the stadium. By 3 PM, over 50,000 people had reportedly already assembled within a one-kilometre radius — and the crowd kept swelling. As fans gathered in overwhelming numbers, pushing and jostling to get closer to the team they had idolised for years, the situation spiraled out of control. The resulting stampede turned into a catastrophe.
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Helpless fans, including young teens and elderly supporters, were caught in a suffocating wave of people. Screams filled the air as many tried in vain to escape the crushing crowd. Despite the escalating panic outside, RCB players and officials were still inside the stadium, continuing with the planned celebrations. Emergency services rushed the injured to hospitals, but the damage had already been done. The question on everyone’s mind: could this have been avoided?
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia didn’t hold back in his criticism. Calling it a “dark stain” on a day that was meant to be full of pride and emotion, Saikia blamed severe lapses in event management, crowd control, and basic security planning. “I’m not just shocked — I’m disgraced. What happened in Bengaluru today is deeply saddening,” he told Hindustan Times. “It was a wonderful end to the IPL, but this incident has left all of us heartbroken. We offer our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.”
‘Organisers should have planned it better,’ says BCCI’s Devajit Saikia on RCB’s victory parade tragedy#RCB https://t.co/ZUTrTf7QvY
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) June 4, 2025
Reports suggest that nearly three lakh fans had gathered around the Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate RCB’s win. But there were no adequate barricades, crowd control measures, or emergency response units in place. In a desperate attempt to regain order, police eventually used mild force to disperse sections of the crowd. But the damage was irreversible.
🚨 RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST. ‼️
Victory Parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities, so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully.
Free passes (limited… pic.twitter.com/raJMXlop5O
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 4, 2025
When questioned about why the ongoing celebrations weren’t halted as news of the tragedy broke, Saikia chose not to comment directly. Instead, he pointed fingers at local authorities and the franchise for not coordinating the event with proper safety protocols in place. “There must have been a serious lapse on the part of the organizers and district authorities,” he stated. “You cannot plan something of this scale at such short notice. Crowd management, law and order, emergency protocols — none of it seemed to be in place.”
He drew comparisons with events like India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory celebrations in Mumbai and the IPL final in Ahmedabad, where lakhs of fans turned up but no such tragedy occurred. In those cases, meticulous planning, inter-agency coordination, and structured security ensured everything went smoothly.
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“The problem in Bengaluru,” Saikia emphasized, “was the lack of time and preparedness. When we organize events with the BCCI, we always ensure protocols are followed. Unfortunately, today’s tragedy was the result of haste and oversight.” This horrific incident now serves as a painful reminder that while cricket has the power to unite and uplift millions, poor planning and mismanagement can swiftly turn celebration into calamity.
