Eleven fans died, and over 30 were injured.
Indian sport in 2025 was marked by triumphs, but controversies consistently stole the headlines.
From tragic crowd incidents to politically charged cricket confrontations, the year exposed weaknesses in organisation, governance, and athlete safety.
Football, cricket, athletics, and para-sport events all faced issues, raising serious questions about India’s ability to manage sport at home and abroad.
Doping scandals, safety failures, and administrative disputes highlighted structural issues that demanded urgent attention.
Each controversy not only shocked fans but also challenged the reputation and credibility of Indian sport on the international stage.
Chinnaswamy Stadium Stampede Tragedy
Arguably the most devastating controversy of 2025 occurred after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title win.
A celebration event organised near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium turned catastrophic.
On June 4, 2025, a massive crowd crush erupted outside the stadium entrance as fans gathered to congratulate the team and see the trophy.
Eleven fans died, and over 30 were injured.
The Karnataka government lodged a complaint and initiated an investigation, accusing the RCB administration of hosting the event without the necessary permissions and adequate security arrangements.
The incident was a grim reminder that sporting euphoria requires robust crowd-management planning to prevent fatal consequences.
No Handshake
Tensions between India and Pakistan created major diplomatic flashpoints during the 2025 Asia Cup, which had already been moved to the United Arab Emirates.
Indian players refused to shake hands with Pakistani opponents in all three matches, citing the Pahalgam attack.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed it was a “collective decision” approved by the team management and BCCI, noting that “some things are beyond sportsmanship”.
The Pakistan Cricket Board formally protested the move, calling it against the “spirit of cricket”.
Disciplinary actions followed: Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf was suspended for two matches, and Yadav was fined 30% of his match fee. Sahibzada Farhan was reprimanded as well.
The controversy peaked during the final, which India won.
The Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who was both ACC Chairman and a senior Pakistani official.
Naqvi refused to step aside, delaying the presentation ceremony by over an hour. The event concluded without the Indian team receiving the trophy, leaving a diplomatic and sporting dispute unresolved.
Indian Super League Postponed
Indian football faced its deepest crisis in July 2025 when the ISL 2025-26 season was officially put on hold.
The Football Sports Development Limited needed clarity on renewing its Master Rights Agreement with the AIFF, which was due to expire on December 8, 2025.
Negotiations to renew the 15-year agreement, signed in 2010, stalled for months, creating uncertainty about the league’s commercial future.
Twelve ISL clubs warned the AIFF and the Supreme Court that they could face complete shutdown without a valid contractual framework.
The pause caused severe anxiety and financial strain among clubs, players, and coaches.
The Supreme Court intervened, asking AIFF and FSDL to negotiate in “good faith” to unlock the 2025-26 calendar.
The league was expected to resume in the last week of October, but no concrete signs of resumption had emerged.
Indian football’s second division, the I-League, was also left without a commercial partner, throwing its future into jeopardy.
Topping the Global Doping Charts Again
India earned the dubious distinction of having the highest number of doping violations globally for the third year in a row.
According to WADA’s 2024 report, 260 Indian athletes tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, making India the only country worldwide with a triple-digit violation count.
Athletics was the worst-affected sport, with 76 cases, followed by weightlifting (43) and wrestling (29).
WADA data also showed India ranked second only to Russia in doping violations among underage athletes.
The International Olympic Committee flagged this growing crisis as a major concern for India’s 2036 Olympic bid, highlighting systemic failures in anti-doping education, enforcement, and oversight.
Safety Failures and Harassment
Safety standards at major sporting events also came under scrutiny in 2025.
During the World Para Athletics Championships at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kenyan coach Dennis Mwanzo and Japanese coach Mieko Okumatsu were injured after being bitten by stray dogs near the warm-up track.
Although civic authorities reportedly acted quickly to capture the dogs, the incident exposed serious lapses in venue preparation.
A separate incident occurred during the Women’s World Cup in Indore.
Two Australian women cricketers were allegedly touched inappropriately as they walked to a cafe.
The incident sparked outrage and raised serious questions about safety and accountability.
BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya’s comments suggesting the players should have informed authorities drew sharp criticism for appearing to place the burden on the victims instead of addressing the crime itself.
The controversies of 2025 revealed weaknesses across Indian sport, from governance and crowd management to athlete safety and ethics.
Safety lapses, administrative disputes, doping, and political interference highlighted structural challenges that demand urgent reform.
For a country that celebrates sporting triumphs with passion, 2025 demonstrated that excitement alone is insufficient.
Lessons from these crises will be critical if Indian sport is to avoid repeating the errors that defined the year.
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