On June 4 last year, what should have been the greatest day in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s history became one of the most tragic.
The city had poured onto the streets to celebrate the franchise’s maiden IPL title, and in the chaos that followed eleven fans lost their lives in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The celebrations that Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s had organized drew lakhs of people without the requisite security clearances in place, and the franchise faced massive criticism for how the evening was handled.
The stadium itself was stripped of its hosting rights for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 and the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, labeled fundamentally unsafe by the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission.
Now, with IPL 2026 opening at Chinnaswamy on March 28 against SunRisers Hyderabad, RCB and the Karnataka State Cricket Association have announced how they intend to honor the eleven people who never made it home.
IPL 2026: What the tribute by RCB involves
The memorial has been put together jointly by RCB and the KSCA and covers several gestures across match day and beyond.
Eleven seats inside the stadium will be permanently reserved in honor of the victims, not just for IPL matches but for all future international fixtures at the venue as well. The seats are expected to be located together in a premier stand, with the area cordoned off as a permanent mark of respect.
A memorial plaque will be unveiled near the inner entrance of the stadium, closer to the existing mural, providing a dedicated space for reflection. On match day itself RCB will lead tributes before the start of play, the names of the eleven victims will be displayed inside the stadium and a minute’s silence will be observed, with SunRisers Hyderabad also expected to join the homage.
Players will wear jersey number eleven during practice sessions on game days, and black armbands will also be worn. “All the players will have jersey No.11 on their back, not for the game, but for the practice,” RCB CEO Rajesh Menon said. “We are also looking at having 11 permanent seats in Chinnaswamy Stadium forever. This is for the 11 fans who will be with us forever.”
RCB to honor stampede victims. Players to train with No. 11 jersey, franchise looking to reserve 11 seats permanently, says CEO Rajesh Menon.
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