The celebrations that were meant to mark Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s historic first IPL title turned into a devastating tragedy when a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured more than 50 people. Months after the horrific incident, RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, has appealed for the franchise to ensure that the victims’ memories remain an integral part of the team’s legacy.
The Tragedy Outside Chinnaswamy Stadium
The incident occurred on June 4, 2025, when thousands of jubilant fans gathered outside the stadium to celebrate RCB’s long-awaited maiden IPL crown. However, the crowd size far exceeded the venue’s capacity. With collapsed barricades and poor crowd management, chaos broke out, triggering a deadly stampede that left several families shattered.
RCB swiftly announced compensation of INR 10 lakh for each victim’s family and also set up the “RCB Cares” fund to provide financial and medical support for those who were injured.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Mo Bobat expressed deep sorrow:
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 18 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒅,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒃𝒖𝒛𝒛.
He added that their memories must be honoured forever:
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔.”
Inquiry Holds RCB and KSCA Responsible
The government-ordered inquiry, led by Justice John Michael D’Cunha, revealed alarming safety lapses at the stadium. The commission described the Chinnaswamy Stadium as structurally unsafe for large gatherings, citing poor design, inadequate entry and exit routes, and a lack of emergency preparedness.
The report held RCB, its event partners, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) accountable for gross mismanagement. Several officials now face disciplinary action for their roles in the tragedy.
Impact on Future Cricket Matches
As a direct consequence of the findings, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has been dropped as a venue for the upcoming ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. High-profile matches, including one semi-final and the final, will instead be played at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The tragedy has left a lasting scar on Bengaluru’s cricketing culture, but Bobat’s call to honour the victims as part of RCB’s heritage reflects the franchise’s commitment to ensuring their sacrifices are never forgotten.
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