Former India seamer Venkatesh Prasad says first-class cricket will return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium if he is voted in as president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on 30 November.
Prasad heads a panel that includes ex-opener Sujith Somasunder, who is standing for vice-president, and former office-bearer Vinay Mrutyunjaya, the candidate for secretary. Their ticket carries visible support: Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, KSCA president and secretary from 2010 to 2013, turned up on Tuesday to endorse the slate.
“Karnataka cricket has been suffering and Venky is here to make a difference,” Kumble told reporters. “All the work we had put in during our three-year tenure [2010-2013] has been undone over the past many years. The most common question we get asked is ‘when are you returning?’”
Opposition comes from KN Shanth Kumar, backed by long-time KSCA power-broker Brijesh Patel. Kumar, better known in golf circles, once served on the Indian Golf Union board and captained India’s team at the 2002 Asian Games.
Key people on Prasad’s side include former India Women captain Shantha Rangaswamy and ex-Karnataka player V Kalpana. Rangaswamy, over the age limit, cannot stand, while Kalpana is expected to take a committee role if the group wins.
Two priorities: fans & players
Kumble argued that players and spectators have slipped off the KSCA agenda. “Two key stakeholders have been neglected: cricketers and fans. Last week we won the Women’s World Cup, and it was a landmark occasion. But we [Karnataka] didn’t have a single representation. That needs to change,” he said.
The former India captain also referred to the tragic crowd crush outside Chinnaswamy on 4 June, when Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrated their IPL triumph and 11 people died. Calling it a “black mark, black day”, Kumble urged the incoming committee to restore pride in a ground he described as a “temple”.
Dialogue over confrontation
The stadium has staged only club matches since the incident. It lost hosting rights for the Women’s World Cup, including the final, amid a standoff with the state government over safety certification. Power was temporarily cut off by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) after the association failed a fire-safety audit; supply resumed only when KSCA filed a compliance undertaking earlier this month.
“We believe in having a proper dialogue with the government, and adhere to whatever the safety audit report has told us,” Prasad said.
Somasunder added: “The stadium renovation work needs to be done in a phased manner.”
Beyond the venue, the challengers talk about strengthening age-group pathways, reviving the KSCA’s academy structures and renegotiating broadcast deals for state competitions. None of those promises sound especially glamorous, yet they speak to worries echoed by district units across Karnataka: declining match fees, limited turf-pitch access and sparse crowds for Ranji fixtures.
The politics in play
Observers note that both tickets mix experience and fresh faces, though Prasad’s team leans heavily on nostalgia for the Kumble-Srinath era. The rival camp highlights Patel’s administrative continuity and its declared focus on “financial prudence”.
Several club delegates contacted by this paper said voting is likely to be close. One district secretary pointed out that 2010-13 improvements—the indoor nets, drainage upgrades and scholarships—still carry weight. Another official, more cautious, stressed that recent controversies have dented trust in any leadership linked to the past.
KSCA members will cast their ballots on 30 November in Bengaluru. The result, due later that evening, will decide who gets the unwelcome job of repairing both Chinnaswamy’s image and its crumbling concrete.
