Friday 06 / June / 2025
Police in Bengaluru, India's tech capital, arrested four individuals early Friday for the roles in a deadly fan crush that occurred on Wednesday while the local cricket team Royal Challengers Bengaluru was celebrating its T20 Indian Premier League (IPL) championship victory.
The team offered free tickets to a trophy celebration at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, saying the number of tickets would be limited. Officials say the stadium has a capacity of 35,000 people, "but 200,000-300,000 people came."
In the end, 11 people were killed and 47 injured as fans without tickets attempted to push their way into the venue in what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called an "absolutely heartrending" incident.
State officials on Friday announced that "legal action has been taken against the representatives of the RCB" as well as the event organizers and the state cricket association.
Local media have reported that the four face charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, among others.
Officials suggested that senior police may also be subject to punishment for their roles as well.
Wealthy Indian Premier League cricket cutting corners on fan safety?
The IPL is the world's richest cricket league, with media widely reporting that RCB's T20 victory had secured it a $2.3 million (€2 million) match bonus.
RCB has called the event "unfortunate" and offered $11,655 each to the families of victims, most of whom were men between the ages of 14-49.
Indian Premier League ranks among the world's wealthiest in cost-per-match terms since selling a five-year global broadcast right package for $6.2 billion in 2022.
This has led many in India to demand the league be more forthcoming about Wednesday's tragedy.
The Indian Express newspaper this week wrote: "The world's richest cricket tournament can't cut corners when it comes to fans' safety. A fitting tribute to those dead, therefore, is not mere signing a cheque but holding those in charge responsible."
