Officials inside stadium weren't aware of stampede situation: IPL Chairman

Dhumal sought to know who organised the Bengaluru event, as the celebrations already happened in Ahmedabad on Tuesday,.

"We spoke to the management when we got to know about the situation and they assured that they will finish the ceremony quickly. This is definitely sad and tragic. RCB officials assured me that they will wind up the celebrations now," NDTV reported Dhumal as saying.

He said the officials did not know a tragedy had struck the fans outside the stadium.

"... Officials inside weren't aware about what happened outside. They assured me they will wrap it up inside. It is very sad and tragic. Heartfelt condolences... We are not even aware whether someone has planned this event - how come such a huge crowd came to the stadium?" the IPL chairman said.

Referring to protocol, he said the celebrations for the BCCI and IPL ended on Tuesday night.

"How it has to be carried forward is up to the respective franchise. All officials from the state government were there - there would have been protocol in place," Dhumal said.

At least 11 people died and 50 others injured as a stampede broke out outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium where a massive crowd gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL), media reports said.

The fatal stampede broke out as the crowd swelled and turned uncontrollable outside the stadium, which has a capacity of roughly 40,000 people.

The BJP has accused the Congress-led government in the state of seeking publicity and not making adequate arrangements for the celebration.

"It's heartbreaking to see such loss because of poor planning and crowd mismanagement. The state government in Karnataka has clearly failed in its responsibility. Celebrations are one thing, but the State government without proper planning, without taking emergency services into confidence, took this urgent and unfortunate decision. This could have been avoided (sic)," senior BJP leader and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi wrote on X.

"The government is responsible for this and accountability needs to be fixed," he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during a press conference this evening, stated that the administration did not expect the tragedy, as the stadium can accommodate 35,000 people.

"But the number of people who turned up is estimated to be two-three lakhs. We assumed there would be as many people as the stadium would accommodate or a bit more, but not as many as had actually turned up," Siddaramaiah said.

He announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who were killed in the stampede, and free treatment for the injured.

"I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into this tragedy. Appropriate action will be taken against the guilty. Instructions have been given to submit the investigation report within 15 days," he said.

India's cricket icon Virat Kohli's wait for the maiden IPL trophy ended on Tuesday as Bengaluru scripted their first-ever title win in the cash-rich T20 tournament at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.