A historic night for Royal Challengers Bengaluru turned into a nightmare as a deadly stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured nearly 50 on Wednesday.
The chaos unfolded when thousands of fans overwhelmed security in a desperate bid to glimpse the IPL champions.
The stadium, which holds around 35,000 people, was overwhelmed as more than two lakh fans gathered—far exceeding its capacity. The felicitation ceremony, which featured the full squad, head coach Andy Flower, and team mentor Dinesh Karthik, had to be cut short to just 20 minutes after organizers were alerted to the chaos unfolding outside.
The tragedy sent shockwaves through the cricketing community, with Indian legends expressing their grief and support for the affected families.
Sachin Tendulkar took to X (formerly Twitter) to offer his condolences, ‘What happened at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, is beyond tragic. My heart goes out to every affected family. Wishing peace and strength to all.’
Yuvraj Singh echoed the sentiment, writing, ‘What was meant to be a moment of celebration turned into an unimaginable tragedy. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the incident in #Bengaluru. May the families find strength and the departed souls rest in peace.’
Former India spinner Anil Kumble also mourned the loss, stating, ‘It’s a sad day for cricket. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives while celebrating RCB’s victory. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. Tragic!!’
In an official statement, Royal Challengers Bengaluru said they were ‘deeply anguished’ by the incident and promptly adjusted their programme once they were made aware of the situation.
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