BCCI issues safety guidelines after horrific ‘RCB’ stampede tragedy
Following the horrible stampede that occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory celebration, the BCCI is taking decisive action. The board has confirmed that no future IPL celebrations will proceed without stringent safety measures in place, following the incident in Bengaluru that claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 fans. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia acknowledged the mishap and stressed that the public celebrations during the post-IPL wins must not come at the cost of human lives. Although the BCCI initially distanced itself from the event, organized independently by RCB and the Karnataka government, the board has now stepped in to regulate such celebrations moving forward. To ensure that future felicitation events are well-planned and secure, the BCCI has constituted a three-member committee to frame standardized safety protocols. These guidelines will be mandatory for all IPL teams henceforth. Key guidelines proposed by BCCI: Cooling-off period: No team will be allowed to hold celebrations within 3-4 days of winning the title. Quick turnarounds will not be permitted to avoid rushed and poorly managed events. Mandatory BCCI clearance: Teams must seek formal permission from BCCI before organizing any celebration. No events can be held without prior written clearance from the board. Security blueprint: Mandatory 4 to 5-tier security protocols. Multi-layered security presence will be essential at all venues and during transit. Security arrangements must cover team movement from the airport to the event venue. The franchise must have to ensure full protection for players and staff throughout the event schedule. Government permissions: Permission must be obtained from district police, state government, and local authorities. All celebrations must be green-lit by civic and law enforcement bodies to proceed legally and safely. RCB’s victory parade was hurriedly planned for June 4, just a day after their first-ever title win. Despite traffic police warnings, the event saw over 2 lakh fans assemble outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, leading to a deadly stampede. The franchise’s marketing head was later arrested and KSCA officials resigned in the aftermath. Nikhil Sosale, however, went out on bail afterwards.
RCB to donate Rs. 10 lakh aid for families of stampede victims
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday announced financial support of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of the 11 deceased during the stampede that ensued outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Forty-seven people were injured in addition to the 11 who died in the incident that occurred during RCB’s celebration after they won the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) the previous day in Ahmadabad. The franchise and the Karnataka state government have since come under fire. “The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family,” said RCB in a statement on Thursday. “As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced financial support of INR 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident. Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do. We remain united in grief.” RCB’s victory on Tuesday was followed by hugely emotional scenes, with the team ending an 18-year wait for the title. However, there was uncertainty over whether there would be an open-top bus victory parade from the Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Meanwhile, India’s World Cup-winning captain and legendary bowler Kapil Dev, expressing deep anguish over the tragic incident, commented, “Lives are more important than celebration.” He urged everyone to take precautionary measures so that such incidents do not take place in the future. However, Denying any prior information, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal said: “We did not know any victory parade or celebrations planned in Bengaluru. We had no idea who organized it and how so many fans came there”
‘Lost the battle, not the war’: Shreyas Iyer promises to bounce back Qualifier 2
Punjab Kings suffered the worst defeat in IPL Play-off history as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down 102 with 60 balls to spare. It seemed like the good old PBKS that fans were accustomed to witnessing. But under captain Shreyas Iyer, PBKS have improved by leaps and bounds in IPL 2025. Even when PBKS could only manage 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders, they bounced back, saving the lowest total ever. Hence, Iyer is not giving up on the dream to win the maiden IPL title for PBKS. He has a message for fans after the RCB humiliation: ‘We lost the battle, not the war’. “Not a day to forget, but got to go back to the drawing board. We lost a lot of wickets in the first innings. There’s a lot to go back and study on. I am not doubting my decisions, to be honest. Whatever we did in terms of planning, outside the ground, I think it was on point. It was just that we couldn’t execute it on the field. I can’t even blame the bowlers, as it was a low total to defend. At the end of the day, we have to bat according to the situation and we have to live up to it. We have lost the battle, but not the war,” Shreyas Iyer said after the match. Punjab Kings will now face the winner of GT-MI in Ahmadabad in Qualifier 2 on June 1. PBKS have already beaten both teams in their own backyard this season. They began the IPL 2025 campaign with an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmadabad and beat Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets in Mumbai.
AB de Villiers retorts to the critics of Kohli after his blistering knock against CSK
His former teammate, South African star AB de Villiers, has taken a bold stand against Virat Kohli’s critics, particularly targeting remarks made by legends Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag. After Kohli’s sparkling 62-run innings against Chennai Super Kings, helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a narrow two-run victory and the top of the IPL points table, De Villiers remarked, “Virat is always there. He is Mr. Safety for RCB. When he is there, you don’t have to fear. Never fear when Virat is near. That is the story. Nothing has ever changed, and what I want to tell all of you media people, I haven’t forgotten. I have the brain of an elephant. To all my journalist friends out there, I love you guys. But remember when you said Virat bats too slow, right? Virat was batting at almost a 200-strike rate last night. Eat that.” In an Instagram post, Gavaskar and Sehwag questioned Kohli’s strike rate. Sehwag had notably criticized Kohli for scoring the joint-slowest century in IPL history, suggesting he should have accelerated after reaching his half-century. Gavaskar, too, had engaged in a well-documented back-and-forth with Kohli over his scoring pace. Kohli’s performance this season has been nothing short of stellar. He has surpassed the 500-run mark in an IPL season for a record eighth time, amassing 505 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 143.47. His tally of seven fifty-plus scores is his third-best in an IPL season, following 11 such scores in 2016 and eight in 2023. This dominance has placed him at the forefront of the Orange Cap race, narrowly leading over Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan.
Love for RCB? Or a new business approach? Content creator’s entertaining poster across Bangalore; ‘Donate Rs 10 for RCB’
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) remains one of the most talked-about franchises, with a massive fan base and some of the biggest names in cricket. Still, the franchise has yet to win an IPL title, and its struggle has become both a rallying cry and a meme. Riding that wave of fandom and humor, content creator Sarthak Sachdeva devised a social experiment that quickly went viral. He printed QR codes linked to his payment account with the words “Donate Rs.10 for RCB Goodluck” and pasted them across public places, walls, poles, and random street corners. The video starts with Sarthak quietly sticking the QR codes around the city. What begins as a seemingly silly idea takes a surprising turn as people actually start noticing the codes, scanning them, and making payments, all for the love of RCB or perhaps just for the laugh. By the end of the day, he had received Rs.1,200 from random strangers. The quirky video racked up 3.5 million views online. Many took to the comments section to react. A user wrote, ‘Naya business idea.’ Another added, “Iske baad agr RCB na jeete toh ro dungi” RCB is currently second on the points table with 7 wins from 10 matches, all of which have come in away games, a testament to their ability to perform under pressure. However, their only losses this season have been at home, raising concerns as they enter the final stretch of the league. With four matches left, including three at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB will need to overcome their inconsistent home record to maintain momentum.
