Bengaluru: The highly anticipated victory parade for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), celebrating their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title, has been cancelled due to traffic and logistical concerns, Bengaluru Police confirmed on Wednesday. Instead, the team will be felicitated at a closed-door event at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Initially, RCB had announced a grand open-top bus parade starting at 3:30 PM from Vidhana Soudha to the stadium. However, a police advisory issued earlier today cited expected traffic congestion, limited parking, and crowd control challenges as reasons for calling off the event.

“In light of the celebrations expected across the city and in the interest of public safety, there will be no open-bus parade for the RCB team,” the Bengaluru Police said in a public statement. Authorities have advised the public to avoid roads in and around Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium between 3 PM and 8 PM.

The official felicitation function for the RCB squad will now be held at M Chinnaswamy Stadium between 5 PM and 6 PM. Entry to the event will be strictly restricted to individuals holding valid tickets or passes, police clarified.

RCB fans, who had gathered at key locations in Bengaluru in anticipation of the parade, expressed disappointment at the cancellation. Despite this, the atmosphere across the city remains festive following RCB’s dramatic six-run win over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night.

The win ended RCB’s 18-year-long wait for an IPL title and fulfilled the hopes of fans and long-time players, especially Virat Kohli, who played a pivotal role in the tournament.

While the city may have missed the sight of the team celebrating atop an open bus, supporters continue to mark the occasion with street celebrations, social media tributes, and congratulatory messages for the franchise’s historic win.