Bengaluru Police Urged RCB Management To Reschedule Celebration For Sunday, Plea Was Rejected: Reports

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's attempt to mark their IPL 2025 victory with an extravagant celebration ended in a tragedy, as at least 11 people reportedly lost their lives in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Since RCB's title win, Bengaluru's streets had descended into chaos, with jubilant fans celebrating wildly.

Photo Credit: PTI

Once news broke that a victory parade would take place in the city on Wednesday evening, supporters began gathering near the stadium from early in the morning.

Authorities, including the police and traffic officials, issued multiple warnings on social media urging fans to stay orderly and advising against holding an open-top bus parade from Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy.

According to a report in the Deccan Herald, both the RCB management and the state government were urged to avoid any form of celebration on Wednesday, as tensions and emotions remained high.

The franchise had been advised to plan the event for Sunday instead, but RCB objected, citing the departure of their overseas players.

"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.

"We told them not to take out any procession, but to hold it in one place in an organised manner. Bring the players to the stadium and finish it there," the officer added.

With the IPL schedule already delayed by over a week due to the Indo-Pak conflict, the franchise had to release its foreign players for international duties, leaving organisers with little choice but to proceed.

"Their argument was that the players, especially the foreigners, would leave today or tomorrow," he said.

"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," he further explained.

"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."