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IPL 2025, Qualifier 1: Josh Hazlewood returns as RCB opt to field against PBKS in Mullanpur
Both teams made a change to their lineups; while Royal Challengers Bengaluru brought Josh Hazlewood in place of Nuwan Thushara, Punjab Kings have had to bring in Azmatullah Omarzai for Marco Jansen, who has had to fly back home along with other WTC final-bound South Africans. read more
Josh Hazlewood is among the leading wicket-takers in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League. AP
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss, and skipper Rajat Patidar opted to field against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the New PCA Stadium in Mullanpur on Thursday. Patidar returns as captain for RCB after playing the last two games as an 'Impact Sub' due to fitness issues, with wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma having filled in as captain for him.
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Both teams made changes to their lineups; while Royal Challengers Bengaluru brought Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood in place of Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara, Punjab Kings replaced Marco Jansen with Azmatullah Omarzai.
Hazlewood thus makes his first appearance for RCB in over a month, and remains their leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps despite such a long absence. Jansen, meanwhile, is a forced change as he has had to fly out along with other South African cricketers who are in the squad for the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.
Senior leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, however, wasn't included in the RCB playing XI, and it's not clear whether he is yet to recover his fitness or has been overlooked.
The two teams had finished as the top-two teams on the points table at the end of the league phase of the season, and while the winner gets direct entry into the final, the loser will face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
PBKS and RCB have a 1-1 record this season; while Punjab won a low-scoring thriller at the Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru bounced back with a commanding seven-wicket victory in Mullanpur just two days later thanks to Virat Kohli's unbeaten 73.
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IPL 2025 Qualifier 1, PBKS and RCB playing XIs
PBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kyle Jamieson; Impact Subs: Vijaykumar Vyshak, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan, Xavier Bartlett.
RCB: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma; Impact Subs: Mayank Agarawal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.
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Indian Express
20 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Chinnaswamy stadium can hold 35,000 people, 2-3 lakh turned up: How Siddaramaiah explained RCB Victory Parade stampede
A day after Royal Challengers Bengaluru emerged victorious for the first time in the Men's IPL tournament, tragic scenes unfolded in Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium as 11 people died in a stampede on Wednesday, with scores more getting injured. Looking back, the signs were always there, including the all-day-long confusion on whether the victory parade would take place and whether the RCB faithful would be allowed a glimpse of their hallowed stars. In the end, the happiness and contentment of conquering the most elusive of victories was somewhat eclipsed by the feeling of a loss. What led to the stampede-like situation and what next? Here's what we know so far: 📌 The celebration: The RCB Men's team wanted to win the trophy in what many are calling the swansong tournament for team veteran Virat Kohli. They managed to clinch the title by defeating Punjab Kings in the IPL final in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. The team was scheduled to celebrate their victory in Bengaluru on Wednesday, arriving at the HAL Airport on a special flight in the afternoon. According to the plan, a felicitation programme took place at Vidhana Soudha, with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in attendance. Later, the team was set to participate in an open-bus victory parade that would ferry the players to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, about a kilometre away. Many people hoped to catch a glimpse of the players during this ceremony. But the team was sent in a closed bus. The celebrations started early, with the crowd scattered in and around MG Road, Church Street and other places of Central Business District. The chants of 'Ee Sala Cup Namdu' (This time (IPL) cup is ours) and 'RCB-RCB' rang in the open skies of the central business district of the IT capital. 📌 The confusion: In the morning, the RCB handle had posted about a victory parade to be held in the evening. By the afternoon, the traffic police and the state Home Minister said that the victory parade was cancelled. G Parameshwara Rao pointed to 'security reasons'. Trying to assuage any concerns, he said that all security measures and traffic measures are in place 'to ensure there is no inconvenience to the public'. But soon, the RCB handle posted another message, saying that the victory parade would be held at 5 PM. The traffic police conceded that there was confusion about the parade, but said it had made 'preparations in case it happens'. 📌 The stampede: The crowds around the stadium had started to swell much before 5 PM. Thousands of fans gathered in front of Vidhana Soudha as well as outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium. And the numbers were only rising. These eager fans had failed to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars as they were travelling in a closed bus. A stampede broke out around 4 pm when more than 15 people, including a woman, fell on the ground as the crowd rushed towards Gate 3 of the stadium. Passes were also made mandatory to enter the Chinnaswamy Stadium to attend the celebrations and eyewitnesses said many without passes also tried to enter. 📌 'Unexpected' turnout: After the tragedy, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held a press conference to condole the loss of lives. He announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased, and ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragedy. Then, he explained what could have led to the chaos. Siddaramaiah said that the stadium has a capacity to hold about 35,000 people. But about 2-3 lakh people had gathered at the stadium and about a lakh outside Vidhan Soudha. 'We, or the Karnataka State Cricket Association, did not expect such a huge crowd,' he said. The CM paid a visit to the injured, who have been admitted to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospitals, and Vydehi Super Speciality Hospital, and later announced the state will provide them free treatment. 📌 PM's message: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives and took to social media platform X to post: 'The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely 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'. Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy and former CM also said the stampede has 'left me deeply shocked' and called the loss of innocent lives 'extremely painful'. 'The primary reason for this massive tragedy is the lack of proper planning and complete failure to take precautionary measures.' Others in the opposition also trained their guns at the ruling Congress government, questioning it for what they called a lack of proper planning. 📌 Kohli at loss of words: Just 24 hours ago, he was on the ground, overcome by emotions after having achieved what had eluded him for so long — an IPL title win. But after Wednesday's mishap, the senior cricketer took to Instagram to share the official statement of the RCB, captioning the post: 'At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted.' The team statement also mentioned how they were 'deeply anguished by the unfortunate incidents,' referring to the stampede and the resultant deaths.
The Hindu
28 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Bengaluru stampede: How what was to be a victory celebration ended in tragedy
After a night of celebrating the victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), thousands of fans started gathering near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and Vidhana Soudha, between which a 'victory parade' was planned, by Wednesday afternoon. Clad in the jerseys of their favourite team, there were people from all age groups, including parents with children and the elderly. The banners, music, and dancing in the crowd reflected the fervour of the fans ... all until things started to take a very tragic turn. Desperate to get a glimpse of the famed trophy and the players of RCB, the crowds resorted to climbing trees, compound walls and even roofs of buildings. It was at the stadium that things came to a head. 'My wife and I arrived near the stadium at about 2 p.m., and we were waiting near Gate 20. Sometime between 3 p.m. and 3.30 p.m., as they opened the gates for people to get in, the crowds started pushing one another to get in. In this frenzy, a child fell down a drain in front of the gate. While the security guards who could see it were screaming at the crowds to stop stamping the child, those who wanted to enter did not heed those warnings. The madness was such that people did not even bother about getting pierced by the fence when they were climbing over it to get in. Thankfully, the guards and the police somehow rescued the child,' said a traumatised Chandrashekhar Raju, a resident of Gandhi Bazaar in south Bengaluru, who had come to partake in the celebrations. 'After a point, my wife and I felt so suffocated that we decided to get home. There were some other women who were pleading with us to take them back with us. I lost my mobile phone, and I could see many people's earpods and watches crushed on the ground. I saw so many people getting injured ... I have never seen anything like it. It felt like a near-death experience,' he said. Fans paid no heed The footfall around the stadium had reached manic proportions by around 4.15 p.m. By then, the stadium had also filled to the brim, and the police made desperate pleas for the supporters who had assembled outside to disperse, but to no avail. Unable to gain entry, the crowd started banging on the gates and even managed to climb nearby trees and even on the stadium wall to jump in. While more than a handful jumped over, scores were caned by the police. But crowds continued to push forward. Many supporters were pushed against the stadium wall and almost all held on to their dear lives, even those with some breathing space and a little elbow room did not miss an opportunity to raise slogans praising RCB, said an eyewitness. The intense heat and congestion adversely affected people, as many fainted. Many suffered ankle sprains and multiple other injuries, said eyewitnesses. This also included children who were carried away by the police. Most of the ambulances could not navigate through the roads packed with fans. Eventually, at about 4.30 p.m., there were reports that one person died due to suffocation in the stampede. Soon enough, the numbers started growing, and ambulances started blaring in as those with injuries were escorted to three nearby hospitals whose casualty sections were soon full. According to hospitals, a total of nine people were dead by the time they reached the hospital and two others died as treatment failed. The police continued to urge people to get home as nothing is more important than their lives, but getting back home was also impossible due to choked roads and crowded metro. The trains did not even stop at the B.R. Ambedkar Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park stations for hours. While cab prices had doubled, there was also no way for cabs to reach the pick-up locations. 'We walked through Cubbon Park and reached corporation. From there, we booked an autorickshaw, and it was 8 p.m. by the time we reached home,' Mr. Raju said. According to the police estimate, there were more than two lakh people in the area around the stadium on Wednesday evening. With so many people in one place, mobile towers glitched, and soon there was no strong signal on anybody's phone, which exacerbated the situation. 'When there are so many people at one place, the network gets jammed by itself and thus, nobody can make or receive calls or even use the internet,' said a senior police official. Victory lap Even as the tragedy unfolded outside, the situation inside the stadium was in stark contrast, as fans erupted in joy after catching a glimpse of their favourite players. Virat Kohli, amid thunderous applause, started the programme with a short speech thanking the RCB fan base before Rajat Patidar, with the trophy alongside, spoke. It was followed by a lap of honour around the stadium along the boundary ropes. However, the programme was cut short in view of the tragedy that had unfolded outside. (With inputs from Shruti Tewari and Vaishnav G. Edappattu)
India Today
29 minutes ago
- India Today
Absolutely gutted: Virat Kohli reacts to Bengaluru stadium stampede during RCB event
Virat Kohli said he was lost for words and "gutted" by the loss of lives and injuries caused by a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2025 victory celebrations in the city on Wednesday, June who led RCB's lap of honour inside a packed stadium, shared the team's official statement on Instagram, adding a personal message expressing his sorrow at the tragic stampede, which occurred outside the venue while thousands of fans tried to catch a glimpse of the victorious team, claimed 11 lives and left 47 others injured. The celebratory event, which had drawn over two lakh supporters to a stadium with a capacity of 35,000, was cut short to just 20 minutes after organisers were informed of the incident unfolding outside."Immediately upon being made aware of the situation, we promptly amended our programme and followed the guidance and advice of the local administration," RCB said in the to follow. IN THIS STORY#IPL 2025
