Venkatesh Prasad vows to restore Chinnaswamy Stadium
Former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad has vowed to restore the image of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium while promising better governance and transparency at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Prasad officially announced his candidature for the upcoming KSCA elections at an event in Bengaluru.
Prasad, who earlier served as KSCA vice-president from 2013 to 2016, will contest alongside Shantha Rangaswamy, former India women’s captain, and Vinay Mruthyunjaya, a former KSCA office bearer and ex-member of BCCI’s finance committee.
Commitment to Bring Back International Cricket
“We would like to bring back international cricket,” Prasad said. “It’s such an iconic venue, Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has been standing for the last 50 years. This [permission to host matches] is something which has never happened. Even our own Maharaja Cup has also been moved out which is not a good thing.”
The KSCA has been struggling in recent months, functioning without a secretary and treasurer after their resignation following a tragic stampede near the stadium that killed 11 people during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations.
Challenges Facing KSCA
Due to safety concerns, police permission for hosting matches has repeatedly been denied. The Maharaja T20 Trophy was shifted to Mysore, and Bengaluru’s chances of hosting Women’s World Cup matches remain uncertain.
Regulatory hurdles have also piled up, with BESCOM cutting power supply to the venue over fire safety non-compliance. The BCCI has warned KSCA to secure state government approvals to retain major fixtures.
Safety First: Reviewing the Stampede Report
Mruthyunjaya stressed safety as their immediate priority.
“In the current situation, as you know that the permission has been denied… What we mean to say is, we are going to work together to see that as and when the match comes to Bangalore, we will put our efforts to get the necessary permissions from the government agencies.”
He added, “There will be no compromise with respect to the safety of the fans, safety of the spectators, safety of the cricketers. When it comes to safety, we want to give priority to that.”
The team plans a detailed review of the Justice Michael D’Cunha committee report and will conduct fresh safety audits before applying for approvals.
Expansion and Future Plans
Prasad also unveiled plans to expand Chinnaswamy Stadium’s seating capacity to nearly 50,000 while addressing engineering challenges. Currently, the stadium accommodates around 34,000-35,000 spectators.
“We need to work on that. Because as I said earlier, this was built in 1974. I’m sure we cannot take it to 80,000 and so on. So probably another 15,000 more, maybe up to 50,000 and now it’s 34,000-35,000.”
Alongside, Prasad envisions building a cricket museum inspired by Lord’s in London, with interactive exhibits and VR experiences to celebrate Karnataka and India’s cricketing heritage.
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