Indian Premier League champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru have announced that 11 seats at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will remain unoccupied as a tribute to fans who lost their lives during last year’s title celebrations, the franchise said on Tuesday.
A total of eleven supporters, aged between 14 and 29, were killed in a stampede outside the stadium in June, shortly after RCB secured their maiden IPL title.
The 2026 season of the Indian Premier League is set to begin on Saturday, with RCB taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match.
Ahead of the game, the Bengaluru-based team, including star batter Virat Kohli, will train in jerseys bearing the number 11 and will wear black armbands during the match as a mark of respect.
Along with keeping the seats vacant, CEO Rajesh Menon said: “This is a tribute to our fans, who will always remain a part of our journey.”
Following the incident, authorities had declared the venue unsafe due to concerns over infrastructure and crowd management, leading to the relocation of key matches.
However, earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed that the stadium would resume hosting matches, including RCB’s home fixtures.
Menon added that crowd management systems have since been “significantly strengthened,” including the installation of AI-enabled surveillance cameras.
“This system provides real-time alerts, including stand-specific crowd counts, to ensure better monitoring and control,” he said.
The stampede occurred a day after RCB defeated Punjab Kings in the final and returned to Bengaluru for a celebratory trophy parade.
Large crowds, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, gathered to welcome Kohli and his teammates, leading to chaos in which over 50 people were also injured.
In the aftermath, several individuals, including a senior RCB official and representatives from event organisers DNA and the Karnataka State Cricket Association, were questioned by police. No convictions have been made so far.
