Virat Kohli and RCB Celebrate IPL Victory Amidst Security Changes

RCB's Grand Welcome in Bengaluru

In a warm reception at HAL airport on Wednesday, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were greeted by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. He presented bouquets to each player, with a special acknowledgment for star cricketer Virat Kohli, who received both the RCB and Kannada flags. Kohli happily accepted the flags and posed for photos with the Deputy Chief Minister.

On his way to the airport, Shivakumar was seen proudly waving the RCB flag from his vehicle.

Under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, RCB clinched their first IPL title by defeating the Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer, by a narrow margin of six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. This victory marked the fourth different team to win the IPL trophy in as many seasons.

Kohli was instrumental in the win, scoring 43 runs off 35 balls, helping RCB set a formidable target of 190/9. The bowling unit, spearheaded by Player of the Match Krunal Pandya, who took 2 wickets for just 17 runs in four overs, successfully restricted Punjab Kings to 184/7, securing the championship for RCB and Kohli.

However, plans for an open bus victory parade to celebrate RCB's historic win have been scrapped, as announced by the Bengaluru Traffic Police on Wednesday.

Initially, the parade was scheduled to commence at 5 p.m., traveling from Vidhana Soudha to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a felicitation event was set to occur at 6 p.m.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara explained that due to security concerns, the players will not be using an open vehicle for their journey to the stadium. Instead, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) will host a program at Chinnaswamy Stadium, with police security and traffic management in place to prevent congestion.

Parameshwara elaborated on the felicitation ceremony at Vidhana Soudha, stating that all players will arrive by bus. After the event, they will return to Chinnaswamy Stadium by bus. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will extend their congratulations, and two RCB team members will address the gathering.

He also confirmed that no additional events are planned beyond this.