India, May 31 -- Bet the tens of thousands of IPL fans this season heading to the grounds hours in advance, bracing themselves for queues, searches, snaking lines for toilets, food and water, never thought the police would ever be on the same page as them.

When Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh spoke about waking up at 5am to watch live Tests from Australia, he was himself that fan. At the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sport Summit in Bengaluru, Singh remembers being "surprised" at how cricket could be watched. "I thought what is going on in Australia. people just enjoying themselves, enjoying the cricket and the food and drinks, all of it."

Singh took over as Bengaluru commissioner after the stampede outside M Chinnaswamy s...