Former India captain Kapil Dev on Thursday said he “felt bad” on hearing news of lives being lost at a stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s celebrations and implored to “keep it calm” when a team wins any title. Eleven died and 47 were injured in the incident that ensured outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru a day after RCB won the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).
“I feel very bad about that. I think we have to learn from each other. Next time something like this (victory parade) happens, people should be more conscious. People do make a mistake,” Kapil, who famously led India to victory in the 1983 World Cup and is considered one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, told PTI. The 66-year-old urged teams and other stakeholders to maintain calm while organising events of such magnitude.
“Mistake should not be to that scale where you are having fun and you lose lives. In the future, if any team wins, keep it calm. Lives are more important than celebration. Let’s put it that way,” said Kapil.
RCB’s victory on Tuesday was followed by hugely emotional scenes, with the team ending an 18-year wait for the title. Celebrations took place in Bengaluru throughout the night, with the franchise’s announcement of an open-top bus victory parade from the Vidhana Soudha to the Chinnaswamy Stadium bringing it all to a crescendo. However, there was uncertainty over whether the parade would happen or not with the city traffic police issuing an advisory early in the day stating that it will not take place.
However, the franchise announced the parade again at 3.14pm. “RCB Victory Parade: Today at 5 pm IST. Victory parade will be followed by celebrations at the Chinnaswamy stadium. We request all fans to follow guidelines set by police and other authorities, so that everyone can enjoy the roadshow peacefully. Free passes (limited entry) available on the website,” said RCB in a post on X.
The traffic police then put out an advisory about a felicitation programme in the evening with no mention of any parade. But lakhs of fans assembled at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and tried to get in, resulting in a stampede. RCB express anguish later in the evening and, along with the Karnataka State Cricket Association, announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. RCB on Thursday announced Rs 10 lakh aid to the families.
