Fans in Bengaluru will not get a glimpse to watch Virat Kohli featuring in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after the local authorities refused to give permission for M Chinnaswamy Stadium to host the matches. With status quo prevailing over Bengalur’s iconic venue, the matches have been moved to BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, where the match will take place behind closed doors for the fans.
According to those in the Karnataka State Cricket Association, the decision comes after the committee formed to inspect the Chinnaswamy Stadium cited security reasons for not granting permission. It means, the fixture which was originally scheduled to take place in Alur and was moved to Chinnaswamy anticipating huge crowd turnout, now has been shifted to CoE. Delhi will take on Andhra in the first round on Wednesday morning.
It is understood that over the last couple of days the KSCA has been in talks with the state government seeking permission to host at least two matches at the venue where top-level cricket has come to a standstill after the stampede outside the premises on June 4, 2025 that killed 11 people in Royal Challengers Bengaluru victory celebrations. With much of the recommendations made by Justice (Retd) Michael D’Cunha Commission, being a work in progress, it is understood that the panel decided that the timing is not right for the stadium to host matches.
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In its report, Justice Cunha had mentioned, “The commission has also recommended the introduction of several measures at the stadium, including adequate entry and exit gates, integration with public transport facilities, and infrastructure for emergency responses, before conducting any public event.”
Virat Kohli, alongside Rishabh Pant, who is captaining Delhi in the tournament, arrived in Bengaluru on late Monday evening. Even before the decision was made, the Delhi team had arranged for a practice session at the CoE.
It is understood that KSCA which is headed by former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, approached the state government seeking permission to host the match in front of 3,000 fans. However, with concerns still remaining about the crowd management and this being a festive season, and the presence of Kohli and Pant would attract huge number of fans, the authorities were concerned about the security. While many expected the fixture to take place in Chinnaswamy behind closed doors, it is understood that CoE which lies in the outskirts was seen as a safer option.
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Since the stampede incident, the stadium hasn’t been allotted any matches. It was scheduled to host the ICC Women’s World Cup opener and final, but those matches were moved out. The venue is not hosting any of the upcoming T20 World Cup matches as well and the question is whether it would be ready by the time the IPL arrives towards the end of March.
And ever since Bengaluru was allotted the Elite D fixtures of the Vijay Hazare and it was confirmed that Kohli would turn up for Delhi, fans remained hopeful that they could watch him play Chinnaswamy.
