Setback For Fans On Virat Kohli's Vijay Hazare Trophy Return

Virat Kohli's return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy is set to take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is also his home ground for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, in a major development, fans are set to be denied the opportunity to watch Kohli live, with the Karnataka government reportedly about to issue an order to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to host Delhi's matches behind closed doors. The Chinnaswamy has been under the scanner ever since 11 fans lost their lives in a stampede during RCB's IPL 2025 trophy parade.

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the Karnataka state government is keen on preventing any chaos near the stadium during the holiday season, particularly as star players like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are likely to feature.

Earlier, the KSCA had relocated Delhi's games from Alur to the Chinnaswamy in order to tackle logistical challenges due to the presence of stars like Kohli and Pant. The star India duo arrived at the city on Monday night.

However, the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) has reportedly been kept as a backup arena in case police permission does not arrive to host the matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (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.

Following a request from KSCA, the Karnataka government constituted a committee comprising police, public works, and fire safety officials and inspected M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday. They're expected to submit a formal report on Tuesday, likely confirming the widely speculated decision to hold matches behind closed doors due to security concerns.

After the stampede during the victory celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) win earlier this year, the stadium was deemed "unfit for large-scale events" by the Justice John Michael D'Cunha Commission, which was tasked by the Karnataka government to investigate the incident.

The venue has not hosted any top-flight cricket matches since that stampede in June, which killed 11 and injured several players. KSCA's Maharaja Trophy was moved to Mysore in August.

With ANI inputs

Topics mentioned in this article

DEL Royal Challengers Bengaluru Virat Kohli Rishabh Pant Cricket M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru