The Maharaja T20, the state’s franchise-based Twenty20 competition, will take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, however the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is still awaiting police approval. The competition will take place between August 11 and August 27 will last for two weeks.
The continuing investigation into the stampede that happened around the Chinnaswamy premises on June 4 after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL triumph celebrations is the reason for the delay in police clearance. An independent CID probe is presently looking into the sad tragedy, which left 11 people dead and over 50 injured.
The Maharaja T20 would take place behind closed doors, the KSCA has declared on July 11.
But as the location is still being investigated, the group is now looking into other possibilities, such as the Wadeyar Ground in Mysuru and its own facility in Alur, which is outside of Bengaluru. Alur has great drainage and infrastructure, but it is devoid of floodlights and seating for spectators, which poses serious problems for broadcasters and franchises.
As of right now, the Maharani T20, a six-day women’s T20 competition, will begin with group matches in Alur on August 4. At first, the KSCA had thought of holding the women’s final at Chinnaswamy, but with police approvals still pending, that appears improbable.
Franchises, who had already booked hotels and made logistical preparations with the presumption that the tournament would be held in central Bengaluru, are frustrated by the uncertainty. There could be large financial losses as a result of the late venue change.
With Bengaluru hosting key matches in the forthcoming Women’s ODI World Cup, including the tournament opener between India and Sri Lanka on September 30, a semifinal, and potentially the final aside from two warm-up matches, the KSCA is in a challenging position.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium, however, was ruled dangerous for big-scale events in a recent study by a one-man committee created by the Karnataka government. The committee recommended that such events be moved to locations better suited to manage huge crowds.
In the meantime, the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence will now host the entire Duleep Trophy, which kicks off the domestic season. Due to continuing Women’s World Cup preparations and safety concerns, the board’s original plans to stage the final at Chinnaswamy were shelved.
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