
IPL final LIVE SCORE – Royal Challengers vs Punjab Kings: Latest as Kohli chases first title in HUGE clash
THE 2025 Indian Premier League season is set for a dramatic finish TODAY in Ahmedabad!
After 18 long years in the competition, Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli could finally get his hands on the IPL trophy.
His Royal Challengers are facing the Punjab Kings - with both teams looking for a first title in the competition.
The two sides have been on a collision course all season having finished first and second in the IPL league stage.
UK customers with any Sky or Virgin subscription are able to watch or stream the match at no extra cost as it is being shown on Sky Sports Mix, a channel that does not require an added sports package.
Follow ALL of the latest updates below...
2 minutes ago By Raphael Adelugba
IPL 2025 Final
Afternoon and welcome to SunSport's live blog of the IPL 2025 Final.
The Narendra Modi Stadium plays host as Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings square off for their first Indian Premier League titles, with a new winner assured.
This will be their fourth encounter of the season, with PBKS winning one and RCB winning two, including the first qualifier.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar and PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer will be men looking to lead their men's to triumph.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Two children among 11 killed in stampede during IPL title celebrations in India: How the tragedy unfolded
At least 11 people, including two children, have died and dozens more were injured in a stampede during celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first IPL title victory in southern India. Hundreds of thousands of fans had gathered outside their home team's M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in Wednesday despite a lack of clear organisation or police presence, with the stampede taking place after RCB's official X account announced a victory parade with less than two hours' notice. The incident is being described as potentially the worst fan-related tragedy in Indian cricket history. All the fatalities were young men and women, including a 14-year-old girl named in media reports as Divyanshi and a 17-year-old named Shivalingaiah. The oldest victim was a 33-year-old male. More than 30 people were hospitalised with injuries, most in stable condition and receiving treatment. Karnataka's chief minister Siddaramaiah, who goes by a single name, said the crowd far exceeded expectations and at least six to nine times more people had turned up than the stadium could hold, overwhelming security arrangements. He noted that while the stadium's capacity is 35,000, more than 200,000 to 300,000 people had gathered for the event organised by the state cricket association. 'At a time of celebration, this unfortunate event should not have happened. We are saddened by this. No one expected this crowd,' Mr Siddaramaiah told reporters. 'A moment of joy has been eclipsed by sorrow.' In the aftermath, pictures and videos showed scattered footwear, bags, and personal belongings, left behind in the panic. Broken barricades and damaged gates pointed to desperate attempts to push through, while some individuals were seen climbing trees, walls, and fences for a view or to escape the crush. Poor crowd management, confusion, and rumours have been blamed for the deadly stampede. An official investigation has been launched, as opposition parties criticised apparent security lapses. The day began with an already electrified fan base, thrilled by the team's first IPL victory, being thrown into overdrive when RCB announced at 7am that there would be a victory parade that day, without sharing any further details. Crowds began assembling outside the stadium from early in the morning on the off chance that they might see their heroes. The RCB players arrived in the city on a special flight at HAL airport at around 2pm, where they were welcomed by deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. This was a precursor to a reception on the steps of the majestic Vidhana Soudha – the seat of the state legislature – where Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, chief minister Mr Siddaramaiah and other ministers met the team. It was not until around 3pm that the RCB account said the victory parade had been confirmed for 5pm and that it would be a free event. They also said it would be a limited-entry event and passes would be available on their website. This only added to the confusion, as hundreds of thousands had already gathered in person at the stadium, where there was no clear information on gate entry points. 'The frenzy was so overwhelming that people didn't even care about getting pierced by the fence as they climbed over it to get inside,' said Chandrashekhar Raju, a resident of Gandhi Bazaar, as quoted by The Hindu. By 4pm, the situation had become uncontrollable. Police announced the stadium was full and urged people to disperse, while metro services at the nearby Cubbon Park and Vidhana Soudha stations were suspended to control the crowd. At 4.51pm, a stampede broke out near gate number seven of the stadium, while the event with government ministers was still taking place at Vidhana Soudha, just 1.8 km away. Eyewitnesses said the crush occurred when a group of people fell while the crowd surged toward another gate, many without passes attempting to force entry. After 5.30pm, a delayed and scaled-down parade took place inside the stadium. RCB players waved the trophy from their dressing room balcony to the crowd already inside. Many on social media criticised the celebrations that went ahead inside the stadium while scenes of sorrow and grief were already emerging from outside, where emergency services were struggling to control the situation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which organises the IPL, in a statement called the incident "unfortunate". "This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for their cricketers. The organisers should have planned it better," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said: '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.' Star batsman Virat Kohli, who enjoys a huge fan following, wrote on Instagram that he was 'at a loss for words' and 'absolutely gutted.' Mr Siddaramaiah announced compensation would be paid of Rs 1m (£8,600) to each victim's family. Stampedes are not uncommon in the world's most populated country where religious and celebratory events draw large numbers of crowds. In January, at least 30 people died when tens of thousands of Hindus surged to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, the world's largest religious gathering. More than 100 people were killed in a stampede in northern India in July 2024 following another Hindu religious gathering, one of the deadliest such accidents in years. Thousands had gathered at a makeshift tent for an event led by a Hindu preacher in Uttar Pradesh state.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
India is preparing to launch its delayed census, including controversial questions about caste
India will start counting its vast population in a mammoth exercise starting next year. The first census in 16 years will be conducted digitally and include controversial questions about caste for the first time since independence. The Home Ministry announced plans to conduct a two-stage count ending March 1, 2027 in a statement Wednesday night. India's last official census in 2011 counted 1.21 billion people. The country's population is now estimated to be well over 1.4 billion, making it the world's most populous country, according to the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The once-in-a-decade population survey was originally due in 2021 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles. Here's a look at what goes into India's census and why it matters. The census shapes welfare policies and representation The official count of the country's people is used to allocate many of India's welfare programs and other policies. It could also pave the way for redrawing the political landscape of India as seats are added to the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures to represent a larger population. Under the 2023 Women's Reservation Bill, a third of those seats will be set aside for women. A massive count The Indian census is said to be the largest peacetime mobilization in the world. Almost 2.7 million people were hired to implement the 2011 census, visiting more than 240 million households. The Home Ministry said the new census will be carried out in two phases and conclude by March 1, 2027. The government will spell out the details and schedule of the exercise later this month. They'll collect information about houses and their occupants, such as sex, age, marital status, religion, mother tongue, language, literacy and economic activity — as well as caste. New questions about caste are controversial The next census will be the first to consider the caste status of most Indians. Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy in India and is critical to Indian life and politics. There are hundreds of caste groups based on occupation and economic status across India, particularly among Hindus, but the country has limited, or outdated data on how many people belong to them. Since independent India's first census in 1951, it counted only Dalits and Adivasis, members of marginalized groups known as scheduled castes and tribes. But India also has quotas that reserve government jobs, college admissions and elected offices for a swathe of lower and intermediate castes that are recognized as Other Backward Classes. India's current policy caps quotas at 50%, with 27% reserved for OBCs. A count of these groups will likely lead to calls to raise the quotas. Successive Indian governments have resisted updating caste data, arguing that it could lead to social unrest. The announcement on the census comes months ahead of a crucial election in India's poorest state of Bihar, where caste is a key issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party runs a coalition government in Bihar.


BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Census: India set to count its population after a six-year delay
After a six-year delay, India is finally set to count its population in a two-phase census that will conclude in 2027, the government has decennial census is one of the world's largest administrative exercises and provides critical data for planning welfare schemes, allocating federal funds, drawing electoral boundaries and making key policy decisions. It was originally due in 2021, but has been delayed several times since. The last census was conducted in Minister Narendra Modi's government had initially cited the Covid-19 pandemic as the main reason but critics have questioned what has taken so long to resume the exercise. On Wednesday, India's home ministry said in a statement that the much-awaited census will be conducted in two phases, with 1 March 2027 as the reference date. For the snow-bound Himalayan regions, which includes the states of Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, and the region of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, the reference date will be 1 October did not, however, specify when the survey would actually begin. For the first time, the government will also collect the caste details - a politically and socially sensitive issue in India - of all its citizens, the statement added. The last time caste was officially counted as part of a national census was in 1931, during British colonial rule. India's census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, which provides a legal framework for conducting the exercise, but does not specify a fixed schedule for when the census must be conducted or when its results must be 2020, India was set to begin the first phase of the census - in which housing data is collected - when the pandemic hit, following which the government postponed the exercise. In the years since, the government further delayed the exercise several times without any explanation, even as life returned to normal. Experts have spoken of the consequences this could have on the world's most populous country - such as people being excluded from welfare schemes, and the incorrect allocation of resources."The census is not simply a count of the number of people in a country. It provides invaluable data needed to make decisions at a micro level," Professor KP Kannan, a development economist, had told the BBC in 2023. Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.