The Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20’s fourth edition has been relocated from Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium to Mysuru’s Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Cricket Stadium and will be held as a closed-door event from August 11 to 28, following the city police’s denial of a clearance certificate due to safety concerns.The denial stems from an ongoing investigation into the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, which resulted in 11 deaths and numerous injuries.The Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission, appointed by the Karnataka Government, had deemed the Chinnaswamy Stadium “unsuitable and unsafe for mass gathering.”The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials considered hosting the tournament at the Alur grounds on Bengaluru’s outskirts. However, this option was ruled out due to the lack of floodlights and spectator seating facilities.The tournament schedule will remain unchanged despite the venue shift to Mysuru.The future of matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium remains uncertain. The season-opening Duleep Trophy will take place at the BCCI Centre of Excellence grounds.Uncertainty over Women’s World Cup
File photo: Footwears lie on the ground outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium following the stampede (Picture credit: PTI)
The city is scheduled to host the opening game of the eight-team Women’s World Cup, which will run from September 30 to November 2. A highly anticipated match between co-hosts India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on September 30. However, the status of this game is now uncertain, along with three other matches, including a semi-final, all of which have been allocated to Bengaluru. The final, planned for November 2, is also tentatively scheduled to be held in Bengaluru, provided Pakistan does not qualify.“We’ve written to the State Government and are awaiting a response. It’s not as if they’ve denied permission. If that were the policy, they wouldn’t have allowed the Maharaja Cup in Mysuru. So, we’re waiting,” a KSCA official said. “There is some more time for this and we’re going step by step.”Besides the opening match, scheduled fixtures at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium include England vs. South Africa on October 3, India vs. Bangladesh on October 26, and the second semi-final on October 30. Other venues for the tournament are the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, Holkar Stadium in Indore, ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam, and R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.The participating teams are Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the co-hosts India and Sri Lanka. The tournament features a total of 31 matches, including 28 league games, two semifinals, and the final.