The Delhi-Andhra game in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be played on Wednesday has been moved out of Chinnaswamy Stadium to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bangalore. Although Chinnaswamy was originally scheduled to host the game, the venue didn’t receive permission from the Bengaluru City Police to play host to the match that would see Virat Kohli turning up for Delhi. According to sources, the City Police was iffy against the backdrop of the tragic Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebrations on June 3 that claimed 11 lives and injured 56 others.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) was hopeful of hosting the game at Chinnaswamy after its top brass, including the newly-elected president Venkatesh Prasad, met the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and home minister G Parameshwara. The state government initially was not averse to hosting the game without spectators. At the same time, however, the cricket officials were told that it would eventually be subject to police clearance. But according to sources, the City Police was reluctant because it felt that irrespective of the game going ahead before empty stands, there could be a large gathering outside the stadium.
Prasad has assumed the KSCA president’s office with a vow to bring cricket back to Chinnaswamy. On the face of it, this is a setback for him and his team.
On Tuesday morning, when RevSportz spoke to Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh, he wasn’t aware of the venue switch. “Yesterday, we practiced at Chinnaswamy. If there’s a change in the schedule, I don’t have an idea as yet,” Sarandeep had said. The confirmation came soon after and Delhi had their pre-match practice session at CoE.
All the big stars, including Kohli and Rohit Sharma, are playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy this term because the BCCI has made it mandatory for the centrally contracted cricketers to participate in domestic cricket.
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