Hundreds of thousands converged on M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to welcome home heroes after first-ever title win – but chaos erupted as fans stormed gates in desperate bid to see cricket stars
A moment of sporting triumph turned into unimaginable tragedy as at least 11 people were killed and 33 injured in a horrific stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic IPL victory celebrations.
The devastating crush unfolded on Wednesday evening as hundreds of thousands of ecstatic cricket fans – including families with young children – converged on the stadium to welcome home their heroes following Tuesday night’s nail-biting six-run victory over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final.
Among the dead was a 13-year-old girl named Divyanshi, while the youngest injured was just six years old, as what should have been a joyous celebration of RCB’s first-ever IPL title after 18 years of heartbreak descended into chaos and horror.
In a shocking revelation, former India cricketer Madan Lal claimed the team continued their celebrations inside the stadium while people were dying outside, saying: “People will never forget this horrifying incident. While people were dying outside, celebrations continued inside. It’s shocking and tragic.”
Virat Kohli, RCB’s talismanic former captain who had waited 18 years for this moment, later posted a seven-word response on Instagram: “At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted.”
The deadly crush: How celebration turned to catastrophe
The tragedy began unfolding from 3pm as massive crowds started gathering outside the stadium, hours before the team was due to arrive at 5:45pm for what was meant to be a brief felicitation ceremony.
Despite warnings from authorities to stay away unless they had passes, an estimated 300,000 people – nearly ten times the stadium’s 35,000 capacity – descended on the area, creating a human tsunami that overwhelmed all crowd control measures.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of absolute chaos:
- Fans breaking through barricades and attempting to storm stadium gates
- People climbing on cars and walls in desperate attempts to see inside
- Children being separated from parents in the crushing mass of humanity
- Police resorting to lathi charges (baton strikes) to control the crowd
The critical moment came when a temporary concrete slab positioned over a drain near the stadium perimeter collapsed under the weight of hundreds of people standing on it, triggering mass panic.
“People started falling over each other. There was nowhere to move. We couldn’t breathe,” one survivor told local media from his hospital bed.
The victims: Lives cut tragically short
As the full horror emerged, Karnataka authorities released the names of those who died in the crush:
- Divyanshi, 13 – The youngest victim
- Shivaling, 17 – From Kannur
- Sahana, 19 – A college student
- Chinmayi, 19 – Another teenage victim
- Bhoomik, 20 – Local resident
- Shravan, 20 – From Chintamani
- Devi, 29 – From Andhra Pradesh
- Poornachand, 32 – From Mandya district
- Manoj Kumar, 33 – Father of two
- Akshata – From Mangaluru
- One unidentified male, approximately 20 years old
The injured were rushed to Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar and Vaidehi Hospital on Mallya Road, with six people in critical condition fighting for their lives in intensive care units.
‘We didn’t expect such a huge crowd’ – Officials scramble for answers
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who visited the injured in hospital, appeared visibly shaken as he admitted the government had been completely unprepared for the scale of the turnout.
No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium capacity is only 35,000, but two-three lakh people came to participate in the celebration,” he said, announcing a compensation of ₹10 lakh (approximately £10,000) for each victim’s family.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar offered a bizarre defense of the government’s handling, asking: “What more arrangements could have been done by the government?”
He revealed that over 5,000 police personnel had been deployed but admitted they were overwhelmed: “This is a young, vibrant crowd. We couldn’t resort to force like lathicharge.”
The celebration that should never have been
Questions are now being raised about why the event went ahead at all, given the obvious risks:
- The government had already CANCELLED an open-top bus parade citing safety concerns
- Mixed messages from authorities created confusion about whether celebrations were happening
- The decision to make entry “free for all” after initially limiting it to pass holders triggered the final surge
- The felicitation ceremony lasted just 10 minutes as authorities tried to end it quickly
IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal distanced himself from responsibility, claiming: “I have no idea who organised the event.”
Team’s journey from triumph to tragedy
The RCB squad had landed at Bengaluru’s HAL Airport at 2pm to a hero’s welcome from Deputy CM Shivakumar, who presented flowers and flags to the players.
They then travelled to the Vidhana Soudha (state secretariat) at 4:55pm to meet the Chief Minister, where another 100,000 fans had gathered outside, before finally reaching the stadium at 5:45pm.
By the time they arrived, the stampede had already claimed multiple lives, though it appears the team was initially unaware of the tragedy unfolding outside.
Police reportedly issued a directive to the franchise urging them to keep celebrations brief, and a planned victory lap around the ground was cancelled as players were quickly ushered out of the venue.
Political blame game erupts
The tragedy immediately sparked a political firestorm, with opposition BJP leader Amit Malviya launching a scathing attack on the Congress-run state government:
A celebration has turned into a nightmare. At an event organised by the Karnataka State Government to celebrate RCB’s IPL campaign, a stampede broke out due to poor planning and crowd mismanagement. This heartbreaking incident could have been avoided.”
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy expressed his shock: “It is extremely painful to see innocent lives lost even before the celebrations could begin.
Global cricket community mourns
As news of the tragedy spread, tributes poured in from around the cricketing world:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones.”
Rishi Sunak (whose wife Akshata Murthy is from Bengaluru): “Mine and Akshata’s hearts go out to everyone who has lost loved ones or been hurt in the tragic events in Bengaluru. We celebrated with you yesterday and we mourn with you today.”
Harsha Bhogle, veteran commentator: “Such a lovely occasion for @RCBTweets, one that I hoped would lead to a beautiful celebration. But…”
BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla: “We are coordinating with the Karnataka government and IPL franchise to offer all possible help. This is not a political matter; it’s about human lives.
RCB’s response: ‘RCB Cares’ fund launched
On Thursday morning, RCB announced they would donate ₹10 lakh to each of the 11 families who lost loved ones and launched a fund called ‘RCB Cares.
The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family,” the franchise said in a statement. “As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced financial support.”
The team emphasized that their fans “remain at the heart of everything that we do.”
Metro chaos and city paralysis
The stampede’s ripple effects paralyzed central Bengaluru:
- Three metro stations – Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, and MG Road – were shut down
- Traffic came to a complete standstill in the central business district
- Metro trains on the Purple Line had to be briefly halted
- Additional private security was rushed to man stations
The victory that became a nightmare
RCB’s IPL 2025 final victory over Punjab Kings by six runs on Tuesday night in Ahmedabad had ended an agonizing 18-year wait for the title.
The team had previously finished as runners-up in 2009, 2011, and 2016, making this victory especially emotional for long-suffering fans and players like Virat Kohli, who had been with the franchise since its inception in 2008.
Captain Rajat Patidar had lifted the trophy as Kohli, who scored 43 runs in the final, celebrated wildly – unaware that less than 24 hours later, their moment of glory would be forever tainted by tragedy.
Investigation ordered as city mourns
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a magisterial inquiry by the District Deputy Commissioner, with a report due within 15 days.
“This tragedy should not have happened. Based on the inquiry, action will be taken against the guilty,” he promised.
Former cricketer Madan Lal went further, suggesting victims’ families should file a ₹100 crore lawsuit against RCB and the state government for negligence.
A dark day for cricket
As Bengaluru mourns its dead and questions swirl about how a celebration could turn so deadly, one thing is clear: RCB’s greatest triumph will forever be remembered as one of Indian cricket’s darkest days.
The image of Virat Kohli telling the crowd “It’s no more ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ (Next year the cup will be ours), it’s ‘Ee Saala Cup Namdu’ (This year the cup is ours)” will now be haunted by the knowledge that while he spoke those words, fans who had waited 18 years for this moment were dying outside.
As one survivor put it: “We came to celebrate life. Instead, we witnessed death.”
The stadium that should have echoed with joy will instead be remembered as the site of a preventable tragedy that claimed 11 innocent lives – a stark reminder of what happens when crowd control fails and celebration turns to catastrophe.
Image credit: Chinnaswamy Stadium May 2014 by Visdaviva, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
