Permission denied for cricket match at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

The Karnataka government has denied permission to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to hold a match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 24 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

On December 23, City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh announced the government’s decision. “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. Virat Kohli, the star player of RCB, was supposed to play in this match for Delhi.

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 December 23 morning not to allow the match to be held in the stadium, sources said.