RCB Announce Special Tribute To Honour Stampede Victims, To Reserve 11 Empty Seats At Chinnaswamy Stadium Ahead Of IPL 2026 Opener

IPL 2026: The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener on March 28 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ahead of the match, RCB management, in association with the Karnataka State Cricket Association, has announced a heartfelt series of tributes to honour the memory of the 11 fans who lost their lives during the stampede at the IPL trophy parade last year.

RCB Announce String Of Measures To Honour Stampede Victims

The IPL 2025 champions are planning to keep 11 seats empty permanently at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while the players will be wearing black bands in the game. A commemorative plaque will also be installed near the stadium's inner entrance, providing a special area for introspection and memory.

RCB CEO Rajesh Menon said, “In memory of the 11 fans we lost on June 4th, players will be wearing jersey no 11 for practice before the match. All the players will have jersey no 11 on their back. Apart from that, they will also be wearing a black armband on that day. We are also looking at having 11 permanent empty seats at Chinnaswamy Stadium forever. This is a tribute to the 11 fans who will be us for the rest of the life.”

RCB Received Green Signal To Host Matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium

After undergoing a number of checks and reviews, Chinnaswamy Stadium finally received the green signal to stage IPL matches this year. The stadium will be at its full capacity of 33000, and all the safety protocols will be followed as per the existing norms. KSCA confirmed they received the necessary permission from the government ahead of the RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 opener, scheduled to be held at the venue on March 28.

A KSCA press release read, “Based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee and after reviewing the arrangements in detail, the Home Minister has formally accorded approval for the conduct of the upcoming IPL matches at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.”

RCB set to play five of their seven home matches in Bengaluru, while the two remaining games will be played at Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.

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