Bengaluru: Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match featuring Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant was shifted out of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday after a Karnataka government committee denied permission citing safety concerns following a venue inspection.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association was informed on Tuesday morning that all Vijay Hazare Trophy matches scheduled at the regular Test venue, including Wednesday’s opener between Delhi and Andhra, would be moved to the BCCI Centre of Excellence on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The decision was communicated by the state home ministry.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the decision followed the findings of the panel set up by the state home minister G Parameshwara. “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 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,” said Singh, who was part of the inspection team.
The Delhi-Andhra match was planned to be held without spectators at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The KSCA had sought the government’s permission after the state cabinet earlier this month granted conditional approval to organise matches, subject to compliance with safety recommendations made by the Justice Michael D Cunha commission.
As part of that process, the city police commissioner had issued a 17-point advisory. The panel 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… As per the report from the officers, permission has not been granted,” Singh said.
It is the second venue shift involving matches featuring Kohli and Pant in the past two weeks. The KSCA had earlier moved those fixtures from Alur to the Chinnaswamy Stadium citing logistics and security. The match will now be played at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE).
The KSCA has been directed to ensure that all matches across Bengaluru – four games are scheduled on Wednesday – are played behind closed doors. Police officials have assured tight security around the Aerospace Park area, where the CoE is located.
Safety concerns at the Chinnaswamy Stadium have persisted since a stampede outside the venue on June 4 during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory parade following their first IPL title win in which 11 people were killed. The matches in the Sept 30-Nov 2 ODI Women’s World Cup were moved out of the stadium. The last cricket match at the venue was held in May.
The CoE has previously hosted the Duleep Trophy, Women’s World Cup warm-up fixtures and the India A series against South Africa A, all conducted without spectators.
