Fans in Bengaluru had hopes, but it hasn’t lasted. Just when it appeared that a limited crowd could finally return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Karnataka government has stepped in to shut that door firmly. Virat Kohli’s much-awaited return to the iconic venue in the Vijay Hazare Trophy will now take place without spectators in attendance.
The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had explored the possibility of opening two stands for Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy fixtures, allowing around 2,000 to 3,000 fans inside the stadium. However, the proposal ran into strong resistance from the state government, which has now decided that matches must be held behind closed doors as per ESPNcricinfo.
The decision comes less than seven months after the tragic stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) victory celebrations on June 4, which claimed 11 lives and left several injured. Since then, the Chinnaswamy Stadium has remained largely off-limits for top-level cricket, with even Women’s ODI World Cup matches moved out of the city.
Government takes caution at M Chinnaswamy
To prevent chaos outside the stadium, the Karnataka government has denied the KSCA permission to allow fans inside the stadium. Officials are particularly wary of crowd management during the holiday season, especially with high-profile players like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant involved.
KSCA had moved Delhi’s matches from Alur to Chinnaswamy precisely to avoid logistical challenges linked to player security. Ironically, that very concern has now become the reason fans won’t be allowed in.
Kohli and Pant arrived in Bengaluru late on Monday night and are set to train with the Delhi squad on Tuesday ahead of their opening match against Andhra. The fixture will mark Kohli’s first appearance at the Chinnaswamy Stadium since the June tragedy.
Delhi squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy (2 matches)
Rishabh Pant (captain), Ayush Badoni (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Sarthak Ranjan, Priyansh Arya, Tejasvi Singh (wk), Nitish Rana, Hrithik Shokeen, Harsh Tyagi, Simarjeet Singh, Prince Yadav, Divij Mehra, Ayush Doseja, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rohan Rana, Ishant Sharma, Navdeep Saini. Anuj Rawat (standby wicketkeeper)
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