RCB Parade Cancelled: Bengaluru Traffic Forces Victory Celebrations Indoors

Fans Disappointed as Open-Top Bus Parade Scrapped, Chinnaswamy Stadium Hosts Felicitation Instead

Anand Yadav 2 weeks agoLast Updated: June 9, 2025

4,313 3 minutes read

Bengaluru — What started as a plan to flood the streets with celebration has ended with fans funnelling back to familiar territory — the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The open-top bus parade planned by Royal Challengers Bengaluru was scrapped on Tuesday afternoon after city authorities raised red flags over crowd safety and worsening traffic conditions.

RCB, fresh off their first-ever IPL title, had planned a victory procession through the heart of the city. But by mid-afternoon, the franchise put out an update: the bus wouldn’t roll, and the party was shifting indoors.

No slogans on Brigade Road, no Kohli waving from the rooftops. Just a quick reroute — trophy celebrations at Chinnaswamy, 5 PM onwards. Only those with valid tickets or passes could get in.

Why the sudden shift?

Bengaluru Police had already warned of serious congestion near the Central Business District. With Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Road, MG Road and nearby zones all bracing for chaos, the advisory left little room for a public parade. One official said the city simply “wasn’t logistically ready” for a gathering of that scale.

And make no mistake, the crowds were ready. Fans had started assembling near the supposed route since morning, decked out in red and gold, flags in hand, many still hoarse from the title win. A few even brought drums. When the cancellation came through, frustration was inevitable.

“I waited for this moment for 15 years. Parade cancel agbitu?” said a disappointed fan who had taken the day off to see the team. “Not everyone can enter the stadium. We wanted to feel the moment on the streets.”

The new plan

Instead of rolling through the city, the RCB team made a formal stop at Vidhana Soudha to meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. That was scheduled for 4 PM. From there, they headed straight to Chinnaswamy for the main event.

Inside the stadium, fans who managed to grab passes witnessed what the city outside could not: Kohli with the trophy, du Plessis rallying the crowd, and chants of “Ee Sala Cup Namde” reverberating through the stands — this time with meaning.

While the mood inside stayed upbeat, there was a lingering sense of a missed opportunity outside.

A city that waited too long

This wasn’t just another title. For a team that’s been chasing shadows since the inaugural season, this win carried the weight of years — of heartbreak, memes, collapses, and rebuilds. So when RCB beat Punjab Kings in a nail-biting IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad by six runs, it wasn’t just about cricket.

Virat Kohli, who scored a vital 43 off 35 in the final, stood like a man unburdened after the win. Krunal Pandya’s 2/17 spell was equally vital, while the rest of the bowling unit showed rare discipline under pressure.

For the fans, this was personal. And they had every right to want a grand celebration.

Recurring problem, recurring city

It’s not the first time Bengaluru has struggled with crowd management during a major sporting moment. Similar issues cropped up during India’s 2011 World Cup win when the city had to scale down fan events.

The contrast with Kolkata and Mumbai, where title parades have practically become rituals, is hard to ignore. Bengaluru’s traffic grid, tight public spaces, and lack of planning continue to undercut big moments.

One former city planner told us bluntly, “We celebrate big wins like a small town. No flexibility. No foresight. You can’t call yourself a global tech hub and then say no to a team parade because traffic’s bad.”

From disappointment to legacy

RCB have promised fans that “this is only the beginning” and hinted at more fan events in the coming weeks, potentially outside city limits or in stadium-style venues.

Whether that materializes remains to be seen, but what’s done is done. The team has the trophy. The wait is over. The name’s etched in gold now.

And even if the bus didn’t move, something far bigger did — the narrative around a team that was always mocked, never feared, and now finally… victorious.

Source: PTI

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Anand Yadav

Reporting Fellow at Hindustan Herald

Anand Yadav is a Reporting Fellow at Hindustan Herald, with a daily focus on delivering engaging sports news and analysis. Currently studying at Lucknow University, Anand is passionate about sports journalism and committed to providing well-researched insights into game dynamics, player performances, and the broader impact of sports. He consistently strives to keep our audience informed and entertained with his coverage.