The IPL 2025 victory celebrations by Royal Challengers Bengaluru turned into tragedy after a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left 33 injured. The franchise is facing massive flak for organizing a big event within 18 hours after lifting the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Madan Lal, who was a part of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian squad, blamed the franchise owners.

Despite the unfortunate incident, the players continued celebrating inside the stadium, but the event was cut short after Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli’s speeches.

It is the first time a victory parade of such magnitude has been organized in the IPL. Madan Lal questioned RCB’s decision to proceed with the event just after winning the trophy. He felt that they should have waited for two to three days.

“It is unfortunate that 11 people died. This shouldn’t have happened. You celebrated in Ahmedabad. What was the rush to hold celebrations in Bengaluru?” Madan Lal told PTI.

“The celebrations could have been held after two or three days, and fans would have still turned up. The timings could have been planned properly. Had a proper procedure been followed, the incident might not have happened,” he added.

RCB owners made a mistake

Madal Lal lambasted the RCB owners, saying the franchise can’t escape. “The state government is at fault. Had they denied the permission, RCB would not have organized the parade. However, you can’t hide the mistake made by RCB. The players went out to celebrate. IPL franchises have a huge fan following. The franchise owners made a big error in judgment.”

Bengaluru Traffic Police had denied permission for a victory parade, but the RCB team management continued to seek permission. They wanted a parade from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Madan Lal, however, refused to blame the BCCI. “BCCI had no role to play. It was RCB’s responsibility. They should have worked closely with the security officials. He asked, “Who will look after the families who lost their loved ones?”

“There was no need for RCB to return to Bengaluru and organize such a big event. There was a communication gap. The human lives continue to be undervalued in India,” he added.