A 76-year-old British broadcast engineer who worked with the Board of Control for Cricket in India was found dead in his hotel room in Mumbai. The deceased, Ian William Laganford, was part of the official broadcast team for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 matches at the Wankhede Stadium.
The IPL 2026 season started on March 28 with the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). So far, three matches have been played in this marquee tournament, including the recent clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati.
British broadcast engineer found dead in Mumbai hotel amid IPL 2026
Ian William Langford attended the match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 before returning to his room at the Trident Hotel, news agency PTI reported. The next day, hotel staff became concerned when repeated calls went unanswered.
Staff used the master key to enter the room and found it inoperative. The hotel doctor examined Ian William Laganford and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Marine Drive police station officials registered a case of accidental death. Although the post-mortem initially revealed nothing suspicious, further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.
Due to this sudden death, the ongoing cricket operations in the city have been eclipsed. Mumbai Indians have to play their remaining home matches at Wankhede Stadium.
The police of Marine Drive police station have registered a case of accidental death and started investigating the incident. Ian William Laganford’s body has been sent for post-mortem to determine the exact cause, which remains unclear as authorities await the medical report.
According to police officials, nothing suspicious has been found so far in the initial investigation. However, the case is still being treated as an unnatural death, and further inquiries are underway to establish the exact circumstances behind the incident.
The incident has also reminded many of the sudden death of Dean Jones during the IPL in September 2020. The former cricketer and commentator died of a heart attack while staying inside the tournament bio-bubble during the COVID-19 period.
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