Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has entered the fray for the upcoming Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) elections, launching a manifesto with a clear and urgent mission: to restore the tarnished glory of Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Teaming up with former KSCA treasurer Vinay Mruthyunjaya, Prasad's campaign directly addresses the crisis engulfing the iconic venue, which has been sidelined following a tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations earlier this year. The incident has cast a long shadow, leading to the stadium losing major tournaments and facing an uncertain future.
At the heart of their campaign is a promise to bring top-tier cricket back to the city's premier venue. The fallout from the stampede has been severe, with the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 being moved out of Bengaluru and the stadium likely to be excluded from hosting matches for the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup. Prasad, who previously served as KSCA vice-president, made his intentions clear at a press conference. "We want to bring international matches back to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. It is an iconic venue. We want to restore its lost glory," he stated, a sentiment echoed by Mruthyunjaya, who added, "We will put our heart and soul into ensuring that matches are not shifted out of M. Chinnaswamy Stadium."
The challenges facing the new committee are monumental. The KSCA is currently functioning without a secretary and treasurer, who resigned citing moral responsibility after the tragedy. Regulatory bodies have denied permissions for subsequent events, and the stadium has even had its power supply cut by the electricity department for non-compliance with fire safety regulations. The situation is so dire that Bengaluru, once slated to host key Women's World Cup matches including the opener and a semi-final, is now at risk of being completely dropped from the schedule after missing multiple BCCI deadlines to secure government approvals.
Prasad and his team have outlined a clear strategy to tackle the safety concerns head-on. Their immediate priority is to meticulously study the findings of the Justice (Retd.) Michael D’Cunha Commission, a one-member committee whose report deemed the stadium "unfit and unsafe" for large crowds. Mruthyunjaya assured that a comprehensive review and necessary safety audits would be conducted before seeking permissions to host matches again. "Crowd safety is of utmost importance to us," he affirmed. "There will be no compromise with respect to the safety of the fans, safety of the spectators, safety of the cricketers."
Beyond the immediate crisis, the manifesto outlines a vision for the future. Prasad shared long-term plans to upgrade the 50-year-old stadium, including a proposal to increase its seating capacity from the current 35,000 to around 50,000. The team, which also includes former India women's captain Shantha Rangaswamy, also plans to develop a Lord's-inspired cricket museum to celebrate the rich heritage of Karnataka and Indian cricket. While Prasad and Mruthyunjaya have not yet confirmed the specific positions they will contest, their campaign is firmly focused on rebuilding trust and steering Karnataka cricket out of its current turmoil.
