The Bengaluru stadium witnessed a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory parade in early June, which claimed 11 lives.
On July 11, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced, that the fourth edition of the annual franchise-based tournament will be a closed-door event. It is learnt that the city police are yet to give the tournament a go-ahead. Confirming this, a source told TOI that they’re looking at other venues.
With police permission still elusive, Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament, scheduled from August 11 to 27 is likely to be moved out of the M Chinnaswamy stadium to either KSCA Alur Stadium, on Bengaluru’s outskirts, or the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar ground in Mysuru.
There have been questions raised on the infrastructure and safety measures at the 50-year-old stadium, which was further highlighted in the Justice D’Cunha report submitted to the state government last week. Although the event has been announced as a closed-door event, apprehensions remain. “…..Until such infrastructural changes are made, continuing to host high-attendance events at the current location poses unacceptable risks to public safety, urban mobility and emergency preparedness.”
While KSCA president Raghuram Bhat was unavailable for comments, Bengaluru City police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh was non-committal: “We have received a proposal and the same has been sent to the jurisdiction police station for verification.”
The fourth edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 is all set to bowl off on August 11 at the iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, with Gulbarga Mystics taking on Mangaluru Dragons in the tournament opener. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced the full schedule on Wednesday (July 23), confirming that all 34 matches of the two-week T20 competition will be hosted at a single venue.
A blockbuster clash between defending champions Mysore Warriors and Bengaluru Blasters will headline the evening fixture on opening day, a rematch of last season’s final. With star-studded squads across all six franchises and high entertainment value guaranteed, the Maharaja Trophy 2025 is expected to build on the momentum of its successful previous edition, which reached over 39 million viewers via broadcast and streaming platforms.
A franchise representative said, “KSCA has taken the franchises for granted. We are the major stakeholders, and they have to respect that. Barring one unofficial communication from a managing committee member, we have no other information from the association.”
With premier hotels booked and logistics worked out, the franchises are now worried about the losses they will incur. “No hotel is going to give us a 100% refund. We’ve spent several lakhs to book almost two dozen rooms in a five-star hotel. This apart, if the tournament moves from here, it is going to be a logistical nightmare,” said a stakeholder from another franchise.
The two venues being considered come with different challenges. The Alur facility, which is ideal cricket-wise, has no floodlights or spectator galleries. Which means the tournament will have to be held during the day, which makes it unsuitable for franchises and broadcasters. “We agreed to play closed door, but our sponsorship proposals were based on the live coverage on a national sports channel. There will be legal implications for us if the sponsors pull out, since Alur also does not have permanent broadcast facilities. It is a joke if we have to play Maharaja Trophy like local league matches,” lamented a team official.
