A Vijay Hazare Trophy match featuring Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant was shifted out of Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium after a Karnataka government appointed committee denied permission to host the game, citing safety concerns following an inspection of the venue.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association was informed on Tuesday morning that all Vijay Hazare Trophy matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, including Wednesday’s opener between Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, would be moved to the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The decision was communicated by the state home ministry, citing security reasons.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the decision followed the findings of a committee constituted by Home Minister G Parameshwara. “There is a committee constituted by the home minister, which will look into it. Everything will be done as per the recommendations of the committee,” he said.
The committee, headed by M Maheshwar Rao, Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority, inspected the stadium on Monday to assess safety and infrastructure readiness. It included officials from the Bengaluru City Police, Fire and Emergency Services Department, Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company, Public Works Department and the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the panel concluded that the venue was not fit to host a match at this stage. “As per the reports of the departments, the permission has not been granted for the match tomorrow. The committee has given a detailed report. As of now, the permission is rejected,” Singh said. He was part of the inspection team.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium was planned to be held without spectators on December 24. The KSCA had petitioned the government for permission after the state cabinet earlier this month granted conditional approval to organise cricket matches, subject to compliance with safety recommendations made by the Justice Michael D Cunha Commission.
As part of that process, the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner had issued a 17 point advisory outlining mandatory safety measures. The committee verified compliance with those requirements during its inspection and submitted its findings to the government.
“The committee had gone to the stadium on Monday, on the instructions of the Home Department. Officers from various departments, including fire, Bescom, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and police, had inspected the stadium. As per the report from the officers, permission has not been granted for the match on Wednesday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The committee has also given a detailed report,” Singh said.
The venue change marks the second shift involving matches featuring Kohli and Pant in the past 2 weeks. The KSCA had earlier moved those fixtures from Alur to the Chinnaswamy Stadium due to logistical and security challenges. Both Delhi and Andhra teams have been informed of the latest change, and their training session will now take place at the Centre of Excellence.
The KSCA has been directed to ensure that all matches across Bengaluru are played behind closed doors. Police officials have assured a strong security presence around the Aerospace Park area, where the Centre of Excellence is located.
Safety concerns at the Chinnaswamy Stadium have persisted since a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory parade following their first Indian Premier League title on June 4, in which 11 people were killed. After the incident, International Cricket Council Women’s World Cup matches were moved out of the stadium. The last cricket match at the venue was held in May.
The Centre of Excellence has previously hosted the Duleep Trophy, Women’s World Cup warm up fixtures and India A’s series against South Africa, all conducted without spectators.