new delhi, Aug 28
Nearly three months after the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, that left 11 dead and over 50 injured, IPL 2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday ended their silence with a heartfelt message addressed to their fans — the self-styled 12th Man Army, acknowledging the grief and pain surrounding the incident. Taking to social media, the IPL franchise wrote: “The Silence wasn’t Absence. It was Grief. This space was once filled with energy, memories and moments that you enjoyed the most. But June 4th changed everything. That day broke our hearts, and the silence since then has been our way of holding space. In that silence, we’ve been grieving, listening, learning.” The note explained that RCB had deliberately refrained from posting celebratory content since the incident, adding that the tragedy had prompted the launch of RCB Cares, an initiative aimed at honouring supporters and assisting families affected by the stampede that marred the team’s title celebrations in June.
“That’s how RCB Cares came to life. It grew out of a need to honour, to heal, and to stand beside our fans… We return to this space today, not with celebration but with care — to share, to stand with you, to walk forward, together,” the post read.
The June 4 stampede took place when an unprecedented crowd of nearly three lakh people gathered outside the stadium to participate in RCB’s victory parade following their maiden IPL triumph. In the aftermath, RCB announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the deceased families and launched RCB Cares fund to support injured fans and provide medical assistance. In July, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), while hearing the case, held RCB “responsible” for the massive, unregulated crowd that gathered during the victory celebrations. The bench observed that the franchise had “unilaterally” announced the event on social media without seeking approval from the police or civic authorities.
Defending the police, the tribunal remarked that officers were “human beings, not magicians” and could not have managed such overwhelming numbers without prior coordination. It further noted that neither RCB nor its event management partner, DNA Entertainment Network Pvt Ltd, had adhered to mandatory crowd-control protocols. Meanwhile, the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission, constituted by the Karnataka government to probe the incident, has deemed the M Chinnaswamy Stadium “unsuitable and unsafe” for large-scale public gatherings.
The state government had initially suspended four senior police officers over alleged lapses in crowd management. However, on July 28, their suspensions were revoked, and the officers were reinstated to duty pending disciplinary proceedings. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s reputation takes a hit In the aftermath of the tragic stampede, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s reputation has taken a severe hit.
, with the venue losing its allocation for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup. Originally listed as one of five venues, it has now been replaced by DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, with the International Cricket Council citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
Adding to the setback, the Maharaja T20 tournament was shifted to Mysuru after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) failed to secure police clearance to stage the event in Bengaluru. The tournament, scheduled from August 11 to 27, will now be played entirely at Mysuru.
