Bengaluru fans will be denied an opportunity to watch
Virat Kohli return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the
Vijay Hazare Trophy on Wednesday, with the Karnataka government set to issue an order to the KSCA to stage matches behind closed doors. Meanwhile, the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence has been sounded out to be a back-up venue in case police permission isn’t forthcoming for matches at the Chinnaswamy.
The KSCA had earlier hinted at the possibility of two stands thrown open to the general public, which could’ve seated between 2000-3000 spectators if full. But such a proposal was met by strong opposition from the government, who cited “potential security and compliance issues”, even as work on several areas identified to be addressed continue to be ongoing.
ESPNcricinfo understands the state government wants to prevent chaos around the venue during the holiday season, given the stature of players in participation. Kohli and
Rishabh Pant‘s availability for the first two matches had earlier forced the KSCA to change the venue from Alur to the Chinnaswamy to prevent logistical challenges.
Following a request from KSCA, a committee constituted by the Karnataka government that included officials from police, public works and fire safety department inspected the venue on Monday. While this committee is expected to submit a formal report on Tuesday, those in the know believe the report submitted by the home department led by G Parameshwara “will merely confirm what has widely been speculated.”
Kohli and Pant arrived in the city late on Monday night, and are expected to train with the Delhi squad on Tuesday ahead of their tournament opener against Andhra. This will be Kohli’s first outing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium since a tragic stampede on June 4 marked Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory celebrations led to
11 deaths and several injuries. Since then the venue has become a no-go for top-flight cricket with the BCCI having to shift out five women’s World Cup matches, including the final.
Since
Venkatesh Prasad took over as KSCA president earlier this month, there has been frenetic activity around the venue. Several meetings have been held with the government officials over the possibility of top-flight cricket, including the IPL, returning to the venue subject to them complying with issues raised by the Justice John Michael D’Cunha report that labelled the venue as “highly unsafe” for large gatherings.
DK Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister, has been among those who has been vocal about cricket returning to the storied venue to “restore the pride of Bangalore.” The KSCA facility in Alur, which houses three grounds, will host some of the other matches in the city.
