Celebrations segued into tragedy on Wednesday as at least 11 people were killed in a stampede triggered by an upswell of crowd outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that tried to join a felicitation event to mark Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL victory.
The death toll, which included a woman and a 14-year-old girl, could go up. Around 33 people have been admitted to hospitals with injuries.
The felicitation of players, organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association, however, went ahead inside the packed stadium despite the chaos, but the much-awaited open-bus victory parade
was cancelled.
Sources said over two lakh people had turned up at the stadium against its capacity
of 30,000.
The euphoria over the RCB’s victory after an 18-year wait was building up since the team lifted the IPL trophy on Tuesday night, with thousands of fans hitting the streets with garlanded cutouts of their favourite players.
The street party continued on Wednesday with lakhs converging at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, leaving the police outnumbered and struggling to control the situation.
The stampede broke out at 4.45pm outside the main gate of the stadium when hordes of people marched in from the Vidhana Soudha, the Karnataka Assembly 4km away where the cricketers were felicitated by the government.
The 14-year-old girl who was among the 11 deceased has been identified as Divyamshi, who was accompanied by her relatives.
A boy lies unconscious following a stampede outside a cricket stadium in Bengaluru, India, June 4, 2025. Reuters
Eyewitness Rohit Jayakrishnan, 26, told The Telegraph that ambulances carrying the injured to hospitals were caught up in a traffic snarl in the sea of people.
“There was a mad frenzy among the fans to reach the stadium. I think I’m lucky to be alive. I couldn’t see what was happening at the main gate, but we realised that something was amiss when we heard people screaming,” Rohit, a resident of Indira Nagar, said.
Expressing grief over the incident, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah announced ₹10 lakh as compensation to the kin of the deceased and ordered a magisterial inquiry.
“The cricket association had organised a programme for the victory celebration (at the stadium)... there was also a programme from the government (at the Vidhana Soudha). At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a big tragedy happened. Due to the stampede, 11 people have died and 33 have suffered injuries,” Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and the Vydehi Super Speciality Hospital, where the injured are being treated, he said such a tragedy shouldn’t have happened.
Deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar rallied behind Bengaluru police, who were outnumbered by the crowd.
“There was a huge crowd. We saw it from the airport itself. So we decided to cancel the procession and brought them (the team) in a closed vehicle. There was a request for a procession at least from Vidhana Soudha. As there was rain, the crowd got out of control, so we cancelled that procession too. Here (at the stadium), too, there were arrangements for a procession — an hour-long programme. We were instructed to conclude it in 10-15 minutes, and, accordingly, it was done,” Shivakumar said.
On Wednesday morning, Bengaluru police had said entry to the stadium would be restricted to only those having valid passes.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the tragedy was “shocking to say the least”.
“It shows there was no proper coordination between the organisers and the administration. Something was definitely missing, which led to the disaster,” he said.
The incident triggered a political slugfest with the BJP targeting the Congress-led state government.
“No crowd control measures. No basic arrangements. Just chaos. While innocent people died, Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar were busy shooting reels and hogging limelight with cricketers. Shame on this photo-op Congress government. This is criminal negligence. Blood is on the hands of the Congress govt,” the Karnataka BJP posted on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the stampede “heartrending”.
“In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery,” he wrote on X.
The RCB faced flak from several quarters for continuing with the stadium show, with players delivering speeches amid music and firecrackers. “It’s for all of you — the fans, the people of this wonderful city, people who’ve supported RCB through thick and thin. I’ve never seen any fan base of any team in the world like this franchise,” Virat Kohli said.
Late in the evening, RCB issued a statement saying they were “deeply anguished” by the incident.
“The safety and well-being of everyone is of utmost importance to us. RCB mourns the tragic loss of lives and extends our heartfelt condolences to the affected families. Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our programme and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration. We urge all our supporters to please stay safe,” it stated.
