Mumbai: A victory parade to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL 2025 victory turned into a tragedy on June 4, 2025 outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with 11 people killed and over 50 fans injured in a stampede, following which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued stern guidelines for conducting such events in the future.
Over 2.5 lakh fans flooded Bengaluru’s Central Business District for the celebration of RCB’s maiden IPL title, a first-ever in the history of the IPL for any team—six runs against the Punjab Kings at Ahmedabad. Weak logistics and inefficiencies led to poor management of the crowd, with a makeshift slab crashing close to the stadium, causing the deadly stampede. Suspending Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered a judicial probe headed by a former High Court judge, Michael D’Cunha.
The BCCI, which at first distanced itself from the RCB-Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) show, had on June 14 set up a three-member committee headed by Secretary Devajit Saikia along with Vice-President Rajeev Shukla and Treasurer Prabhtej Bhatia to prepare safety guidelines in 15 days. They are dealing with the lives and safety of the public, and we will not simply watch the other side fade out there,’ Saikia told India Today.
Under the new guidelines, celebrations after wins will be allowed after a three-to-four-day waiting period, only after written permission of the BCCI, and multi-layered security will be in place at the venues and during the players’ transit. Events require approval from district police, state governments, and other local authorities, all of whom are responsible for enforcing safety regulations. Saikia cited the T20 World Cup parades in Mumbai in 2007 and 2024 and said, “So proper coordination with law enforcement is critical.
An FIR was filed against RCB, KSCA, and the event management company DNA Entertainment, leading to arrests, including those of RCB marketing head Nikhil Sosale, who obtained bail later. Cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle commented on the tragedy, stating that it served as a reminder for better planning. X mourned the loss, while a few users slammed RCB for prematurely announcing the event on social media, which reportedly led to a massive rush resulting in the stampede.
The tragedy of the 11 deaths, including a 14-year-old girl, overshadowed the RCB win. By seeking to avoid a repeat of this tragedy, BCCI’s SOP ensures that the next time cricket’s crazy fan base is celebrated, it is done with safety and security and that India has some new lessons to learn about managing such massive public events in the future.