Bengaluru, 24 Mar

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 honour of the fans who died in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here last year.

The fans had lost their lives here on 4 June in a stampede that was triggered by chaos during RCB's celebratory events after the team's maiden IPL trophy win.

The franchise had copped massive criticism for its handling of the celebrations which drew lakhs to the streets without requisite security clearances.

"The players will be wearing jersey No.11 for the practice on the game day - the practice time before the match," RCB CEORajesh Menon told reporters here on Tuesday.

"All the players will have jersey No.11 on their back; 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.

"Apart from that, they will be also wearing black armbands on that day. We are also looking at having 11 permanent seats empty in Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is for the 11 fans who will be with us forever," he added.

The defending champions will be playing their season-opener here on 28 March 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 tometro 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."