Multiple deaths and injuries after hundreds of thousands gather to celebrate cricket team's title in India
Officials have confirmed 11 people died and several more have been injured amid celebrations in Bengaluru, India after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket title on Tuesday.
Government and Indian cricket officials have cited overcrowding as the reason for the scenes outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which has a capacity of 40,000.
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The final itself took place in the city of Ahmedabad, more than 1000 miles to the north west of Bengaluru, but organised celebrations had been planned at RCB's stadium and near Vidhana Soudha, a state government building. Between '200,000 and 300,000 people' arrived at the stadium, according to Siddaramaiah, chief minister of the Indian state of Karnataka, where Bengaluru is located.
'A major tragedy occurred during an IPL victory celebration at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. 11 people died and 47 were injured in a stampede,' Siddaramaiah confirmed on X. 'Such a tragedy should not have happened during the celebrations. We are deeply saddened by this incident.
'We did not expect this many people to come. We expected people to be as many as the stadium can hold.
'May the souls of those who lost their lives in the stampede rest in peace. I pray that their families and parents will be given the strength to bear the grief of their deaths.'
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as absolutely 'heartbreaking.'
'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,' he wrote.
Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition, described the incident as 'profoundly distressing.' 'The joy of victory should never come at the cost of lives,' he said.
The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI, which organises the country's most popular sport), Devajit Saikia, told the Press Trust of India: 'It is very unfortunate. This is a negative side of popularity. People are crazy for cricketers. My deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. I wish early recovery of the injured.'
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: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 4, 2025
The IPL is one of the world's most popular sports leagues and was watched by 620 million viewers in 2024, per SportsPro. It is played in the Twenty20 format, with each team playing one innings of 120 balls per match. Teams play 14 matches in the regular season before the play-offs.
RCB, led by legendary Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, defeated Punjab Kings by six runs to win its first-ever IPL title. Kohli has played for RCB in every season since the IPL was introduced in 2007.
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'It's been 18 long years, I've given this team my youth, my prime and my experience,' said Kohli, 36. 'I never thought this day would come. This means so much to me. I've given each and every ounce of my energy to this team. To have finally won the IPL is an amazing feeling.'
(Photos: AFP via Getty Images)
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