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RCB and Kohli set to return to Chinnaswamy ground
RCB and Kohli set to return to Chinnaswamy ground
The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is ready to host matches again. Newly elected KSCA president Venkatesh Prasad has received approval from the Karnataka government just a week after taking charge. The BCCI has also been informed about these developments.
This decision means fans may soon see Virat Kohli back at Chinnaswamy. The KSCA plans to shift Vijay Hazare Trophy matches involving Delhi from Alur to Bengaluru due to security and logistical issues. Both Kohli and Rishabh Pant are part of Delhi’s large squad and could feature in the first three games.
Prasad and KSCA vice-president Sujith Somasunder met with Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and other officials earlier this week. The talks were positive, and the KSCA is now preparing to allow 2,000–3,000 fans by opening certain stands, given the star power of Kohli and Pant.
The KSCA has promised to follow recommendations from the Justice John D’Cunha report on stadium safety. Hosting Vijay Hazare matches is seen as the first step, but the bigger goal is to bring back IPL games to Bengaluru. Officials confirmed that precautionary measures are being put in place to avoid incidents like the past.
The stadium has not hosted major cricket since the June 4 stampede during RCB’s IPL victory celebration, which tragically caused 11 deaths and several injuries. Since then, the Maharaja Trophy was moved to Mysore, and the venue also missed out on hosting five Women’s World Cup matches, including the final.
Deputy CM Shivakumar said the government has no plans to stop cricket at Chinnaswamy but stressed that crowd management must improve. He confirmed that the recommendations of the D’Cunha Committee will be implemented step by step, with Prasad agreeing to the changes.