Virat Kohli is back in Bengaluru this week, yet the stands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium are almost certain to stay empty when Delhi meet Andhra in Wednesday’s Vijay Hazare Trophy opener.
A Karnataka government directive, expected on Tuesday, will instruct the KSCA to stage all fixtures behind closed doors. Officials argue the move is necessary because of “potential security and compliance issues”, especially with holiday crowds and the presence of high-profile players such as Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
The association had floated the idea of opening two small stands, room for perhaps 3,000 supporters. That suggestion never really gained traction. A senior administrator admitted the government’s home department report “will merely confirm what has widely been speculated.”
Kohli and Pant landed late on Monday. They are due to train with the Delhi squad on Tuesday – Kohli’s first net at the ground since last year’s IPL triumph with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The context is sensitive: the victory parade on 4 June, held just outside the stadium, turned into a fatal stampede that claimed 11 lives and prompted a forensic review of the venue’s crowd-management plans.
Since then, top-level cricket has steered clear of Chinnaswamy. Five women’s World Cup matches, including the final, were shifted elsewhere. The Justice John Michael D’Cunha commission later branded the stadium “highly unsafe” for large gatherings.
Venkatesh Prasad’s election as KSCA president earlier this month has accelerated renovation work. Meetings with police, fire and public-works departments have been almost daily. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has been equally insistent that cricket must return to the city centre to “restore the pride of Bangalore.” Even so, the practical fixes – wider concourses, extra exits, upgraded surveillance – are not happening overnight.
While repairs continue, Alur, 30-odd kilometres out of town and blessed with three upgraded grounds, will absorb several pool games. Logistically it makes sense, though it lacks the buzz of a city-centre venue.
Players, for the most part, are keeping their heads down. One Delhi coach said quietly the squad would rather focus on 50-over skills than crowd politics. Privately, some accept an empty ground is preferable to a half-ready one.
For supporters, it is another near-miss. Kohli’s first competitive appearance in Bengaluru since that fateful June evening will unfold in near-silence, save for the chatter in the slips and the whirr of broadcasters’ drones. If the rebuild stays on schedule, the Chinnaswamy could reopen to fans during next year’s IPL. For now, though, television will have to do.
