Mumbai: The BCCI is looking to make standard guidelines for IPL victory celebrations in its Apex Council meeting on June 14, in the wake of the tragic stampede at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives, but there’s no likelihood of IPL-2025 champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru being banned or “facing any kind of punishment”, a reliable source in the Board told TOI.The formulation of standard guidelines for IPL victory celebrations, in the wake of the tragic stampede in Bengaluru, is among the key items on the agenda when the BCCI holds its ‘Emergent’ Apex Council Meeting on Saturday. The meeting will be held virtually at 4pm.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The tragedy occurred on June 4 following RCB’s victory after 18 years when nearly 2.5 lakh fans flocked the stadium and its surrounding areas to catch a glimpse of superstar Virat Kohli & Co, leading to a stampede that left 11 dead and 56 injured.
“We will discuss how this kind of a tragedy can be avoided in the future, and what are the steps that can be taken in this regard. The need of formulation of norms for IPL victory celebration will be discussed during the meeting, but we’re not looking to ban RCB or take any action against the franchise. We want to have a constructive, positive discussion around what steps are needed to manage these celebrations better. The RCB celebration was held without intimating the BCCI about it. The BCCI had nothing to do with that celebration,” the source in the BCCI said.NZ to tour India in Jan next year for white-ball seriesMeanwhile, TOI has learnt that New Zealand will tour India from January 11-31, 2026 for a white-ball series, which is likely to comprise three ODIs and five T20Is. The Apex Council will also discuss the ‘BCCI Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials,’ which was implemented by the Board after India’s dismal tour of Australia. The code, which mandates a limited number of days for families on overseas tours, had come in for sharp criticism from India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma and superstar Virat Kohli, who both retired from Test cricket, just before the England tour last month. The Apex Council will review the existing ‘AVP’-Age Verification Programme, which is a mechanism that is aimed at curbing age-fudging in age-group cricket, particularly in the Under-16 (boys) and Under-15 (girls) categories.Another matter listed on the agenda is the complaint filed in April 2025 by Karimnagar District Cricket Association president V Agam Rao. He alleged irregularities in the utilisation of funds allocated for cricket infrastructure development in Telangana districts. Acting on the complaint, BCCI Ombudsman Justice Arun Mishra directed the Apex Council to take appropriate action.
