At least 11 die in crowd chaos outside Indian cricket stadium
BENGALURU (REUTERS)At least 11 people died on Wednesday in a crowd surge outside a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Bengaluru where fans were celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first Indian Premier League title win, authorities said.Thousands of people, some waving the home team's red flag, lined streets around the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the team arrived in a bus in the evening, TV channels showed, with some climbing trees and the stadium wall for a better view.As the celebration proceeded, some people outside without passes tried to push through gates and there was further trouble between the perimeter and main arena, police said. Images from the scene showed people climbing over others.At least 11 people were killed and 47 were injured in the incident, Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, told reporters."At a time of celebration, this unfortunate event should not have happened. We are saddened by this. The fans that showed up were beyond our expectations," he said.Naseer Ahmed, political secretary for the Karnataka chief minister, told broadcaster NDTV the crowd became uncontrollable and authorities were unable to make proper arrangements.The team had given away free passes for the event through its website but also warned that numbers would be limited.Bengaluru metro stopped services near the stadium, where the ceremony continued despite the turmoil outside.
Bengaluru were celebrating beating Punjab Kings in the T20 tournament's final match in the 18th edition of the IPL, the world's richest cricket league.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
4 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Asia Cup in UAE: Former Indian cricketer says 'India should not play' against Pakistan
As anticipation builds for the India vs Pakistan match to be held in Dubai as part of Asia Cup 2025, BJP member and former Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav shared his opposition to the upcoming game. He shared with ANI reporters: "I do not think India should play, and I don't think they will". The two South Asian neighbours share a decade-long rivalry and tensions have sometimes affected sport too. In May, the Indian Premiere League (IPL) was suspended for one week amid clashes in the aftermath of a terror attack in India's Pahalgam. Speaking on participation in the upcoming Asia Cup, Jadhav said: "While India will always win wherever they play, I can say with confidence they will not play this match," he responded to reporters who asked about India's upcoming match with Pakistan. The tournament is slated to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28, 2025. Earlier, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) ended months of speculation, and confirmed that the tournament would go ahead in September, with India and Pakistan grouped alongside the UAE and Oman.
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Best Photos of August 18: From the Abu Dhabi powerboat team to the World Humanoid Robot Games
Kiruna's historic wooden church sits on wheels before being moved to its new site next to the cemetery, in Kiruna, Sweden. Reuters
The National
8 hours ago
- The National
Babar Azam told to improve T20 strike rate after failing to make Pakistan's Asia Cup squad
Former captain Babar Azam finds himself at a crossroads in his white-ball career after being left out of Pakistan's upcoming T20 assignments. Babar and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan were excluded from the 17-member squad for a tri-series involving Afghanistan and the UAE, and the Asia Cup, both taking place in the Emirates. Both veterans have not played a T20 International since facing South Africa last December, with team management preferring batters like Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan and others. Pakistan have emphasised intent in the shortest format, which is why their two most prolific white-ball batters find themselves out of the side even though the team lacks experience in the batting department. Coach Mike Hesson said Babar, who has scored 4,223 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of less than 130, must improve his game against spin, and also his scoring rate. 'There's no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate,' Hesson said. 'Those are things he's working really hard on. But at the moment, the players we have have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games and won three player-of-the-match awards.' The Pakistan coach said Babar can still find his way back into the team if he makes a significant impact during the Big Bash T20 league later in the year in Australia. 'A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he's improving in those areas in T20s. He's too good a player not to consider,' he said. Pakistan will be led by all-rounder Salman Agha, who has a strike rate of 115. However, he bowls regularly in white-ball matches, which arguably makes up for the low strike rate. For Babar and Rizwan, the writing appears to be on the wall. The Asia Cup is seen as an audition for the main event early next year – the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The teams involved in the World Cup are likely to have finalised their core group by now, especially for the Asia Cup, which will be played in conditions fairly similar to those found in the subcontinent. There was a view that Babar could still have been selected as he guarantees some runs almost every match, which could come in handy on possibly challenging surfaces in the UAE. In the previous competition in the Emirates – the Champions Trophy earlier in the year – spin played a massive role and scoring rates were surprisingly low. However, Pakistan appear to have decided to move on from Babar and Rizwan, even if it results in short-term pain. What does not fit in this narrative, though, is the strike rates of other batters who have made the cut. Star batter Fakhar Zaman has a strike rate of 131 in T20Is while Farhan hits at 127. Captain Agha is closer to run a ball. Only Hassan Nawaz (175) and Mohammad Haris (145) have strike rates that are significantly better than Babar and Rizwan (125). That means the team management wants to take a chance with the next generation of batters who might flourish with the veterans out of the way. Whether this plan works will be known soon. Pakistan face Afghanistan and UAE in a tri-series which will take place in Sharjah from August 29 and run until September 7. They will then shift their focus to the Asia Cup, which will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28.
