Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, Dec 23: The failure of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to address the safety concerns, the Karnataka government at the last moment on Tuesday refused it permission to stage the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru beginning from Wednesday.
The decision has come as a major disappointment for the cricket fans who were expecting some India giants, particularly Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant to appear for Delhi against Andhra Pradesh match on Wednesday, though Kohli’s participation is still not confirmed.
The Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh in a letter to the KSCA on Tuesday morning informed the association about the government’s denial of permission. “Following the stampede during the victory celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in June, that killed 11 persons, Justice Michael D’Cunha had made some recommendations. The police had also made some recommendations and put down a list of 17 corrective measures. Since none of them have been implemented, permission is denied,” Mr Singh said.
KSCA had requested the government of Karnataka to allow the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Delhi and Andhra Pradesh to be held at the stadium, at least without any audience, in which the RCB star player Virat Kohli was expected to play.
Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara had formed a six-member committee led by Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao to inspect the stadium and submit a report on December 22. The inspection was conducted on December 22 afternoon and the report submitted late night. Based on these reports, a decision was taken on Tuesday morning not to allow the match to be held in the stadium, sources said.
With the permission denied at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Delhi’s first two games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy will now be held at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Center of Excellence (CoE) in the city’s outskirts. Delhi’s match against Andhra Pradesh on December 24 and Gujarat on December 26 will be played behind closed doors as the BCCI CoE doesn’t have spectator seating. The change in venue has been confirmed by the KSCA. It has to be noted that all scheduled fixtures at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium have been shifted to the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) following a late directive from the Karnataka Home Ministry on Tuesday morning.
The decision, cited as being for “security reasons,” effectively means the matches will be played behind closed doors, away from the city centre, preventing fans from gathering at the venue in huge numbers. Anticipating a massive turnout to see Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, the KSCA had moved the games to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium last week to better manage the logistics and security of such high-profile athletes.
The decision to refuse permission is rooted in a cautious stance taken by the state government following the tragic stampede in June 2025 during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, which resulted in 11 fatalities, while many others were left injured. The KSCA had initially considered opening two stands to the public, which could’ve accommodated 2,000–3,000 spectators. However, the government shot down the proposal, citing security concerns and compliance issues.
As a result of the development, Kohli’s first domestic white-ball appearance in years and Pant’s captaincy stint for Delhi will take place at the BCCI Center of Excellence sans spectators. Besides Kohli and Pant, two other star cricketers Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini are also expected to appear for Delhi.
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