A tragic stampede occurred in Bengaluru during the victory celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title, leading to 11 fatalities and 75 injuries. The incident took place outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium where fans had gathered for a victory parade, which had reportedly been denied initial permission by the Bengaluru Police.

Following the incident, several arrests were made. Nikhil Sosale, marketing head for RCB at Diageo India, was taken into custody at Bengaluru airport while attempting to travel to Mumbai. Three staff members from DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd., the event management company, were also detained: Sunil Mathew (director and vice president), Sumanth (DNA ticketing official), and Kiran Kumar (manager). Authorities are also reportedly searching for Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary Shankar A. The arrests followed a directive from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who called for action against officials from RCB, DNA Entertainment, and KSCA.

In response to the event, the state government suspended several senior police officials, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda, citing dereliction of duty and negligence. A one-man judicial commission, headed by retired Karnataka High Court judge Justice Michael D'Cunha, has been formed to investigate the stampede and submit a report within 30 days. Additionally, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been ordered to take over the investigation into the cases related to the tragedy.

The stampede unfolded after RCB announced on social media that the victory parade would proceed from Vidhana Soudha to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, despite the earlier denial of police permission. The franchise has faced criticism for continuing with celebrations inside the stadium while the chaos ensued outside. The stampede reportedly occurred at multiple gates of the stadium, including gates No. 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21.

Legal actions have been initiated, with the Cubbon Park police registering a suo-motu First Information Report (FIR) against the RCB franchise (Accused No. 1), DNA Entertainment (Accused No. 2), and the KSCA administrative committee (Accused No. 3). The FIR was booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), Section 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), Section 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), Section 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), and Section 125 (act endangering life or personal safety of others). A second FIR was registered under BNS Section 125 A (act endangering life or personal safety of others) based on a complaint filed by Rolongumes, an individual injured in the incident. Initially, police had registered 11 separate unnatural death cases.

Nikhil Sosale, who was arrested, has a long-standing association with RCB. According to his LinkedIn profile, he leads the design, strategy, and delivery of RCB's business and marketing initiatives. He holds a Double Major in Business from James Cook University, completed between 2008 and 2010. Sosale has been a visible figure at RCB games during the 2025 season, often seen in the stands with Anushka Sharma, wife of Virat Kohli. His private Instagram profile is followed by both Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. He is married to Malvika Nayak, who heads business development and partnerships at Innoz Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

In the wake of the tragedy, RCB announced financial aid for the families of the 11 individuals who lost their lives. The franchise also established an 'RCB Cares' fund to support those injured in the stampede.

Former cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed strong criticism regarding the practice of holding public roadshows for victory celebrations. He stated that he was never a proponent of such events, recalling his consistent opinion even during his playing days, including after India’s 2007 T20 World Cup victory and KKR's maiden IPL win in 2012, where he opposed a roadshow in Kolkata. Gambhir emphasized that the lives of people are far more important and urged for greater responsibility, suggesting that celebrations could be conducted in more controlled environments such as a closed room or a stadium. He extended his condolences to the families who lost loved ones and expressed hope that such tragic incidents would not happen again, underscoring that celebrating wins should not come at the cost of human lives.