Bengaluru, March 24 Royal Challengers Bengaluru players will train wearing jersey No. 11 on match days during the upcoming IPL, and the franchise also plans to keep 11 seats empty in honor of the fans who died in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here last year.
The fans had lost their lives here on June 4 in a stampede that was triggered by chaos during RCB's celebratory events after the team's maiden IPL trophy win.
The franchise had faced massive criticism for its handling of the celebrations, which drew lakhs of people to the streets without proper security clearances.
"The players will be wearing jersey No. 11 for practice on game day – the time before the match," RCB CEO Rajesh Menon told reporters here on Tuesday.
"All the players will have jersey No. 11 on their backs; not for the game, but for the practice. This is a tribute to our fans, who will always remain a part of our journey," he said.
"In addition, they will also be wearing black armbands on that day. We are also looking at having 11 permanent seats empty at Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is for the 11 fans who will always be with us," he added.
The defending champions will be playing their season opener here on March 28 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in what will be the first of their five home matches at this venue.
RCB are set to play their remaining two home matches at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium this IPL.
Menon also revealed that ticket holders will be entitled to metro access on match days. Parking can be pre-booked, and all stadium gates will open four hours prior to the match.
He also announced that the franchise has decided not to host the 'Unbox' event this year, with the focus firmly on "ensuring the match-day experience is executed smoothly."