Chinnaswamy revival top priority in Prasad-led KSCA campaign

Former India cricketers Shanta Rangaswamy and Venkatesh Prasad, and ex-Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) treasurer Vinay Mruthyunjaya launched their KSCA election manifesto on Wednesday (August 20), promising to restore the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium's former glory following the tragic stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL victory celebrations in June.

The tragedy struck when over two lakh fans gathered for a 5 PM felicitation ceremony, causing a crowd rush that led to the death of 11 people and injured several others. A government panel later deemed the stadium "unsafe for large-scale events", forcing cricket out of the Chinnaswamy. The stadium has lost international matches, the Maharaja T20 has been moved out, and the Women's ODI World Cup opener, semifinals and potentially the final have all been denied to the venue.

"We would like to bring back international cricket," said Prasad, who previously served as KSCA vice-president from 2013-2016. He is set to contest the KSCA elections alongside Mruthyunjaya later this year. "Every international match has been moved out of Bangalore. It's such an iconic venue, Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has been standing for the last 50 years. This is something which has never happened. Even our own Maharaja Cup has also been moved out which is not a good thing," Prasad noted.

The team's immediate priority, if it comes to power, is addressing safety concerns that led to the stampede. The June tragedy exposed fundamental design flaws in the stadium, built in the 1970s, with a government report noting that entry gates open directly onto public footpaths with no organised holding areas for crowds. Mruthyunjaya outlined plans to review investigation reports from the Judicial Commission and implement comprehensive safety audits before seeking government permissions to resume hosting matches.

"We would definitely like to review the recommendations of the Judicial Commission with respect to the government agencies," Mruthyunjaya said. "There will be no compromise with respect to the safety of the fans, safety of the spectators, safety of the cricketers. When it comes to safety, we want to give priority to that."

A Central Administrative Tribunal held RCB "prima facie responsible" for the stampede, finding the franchise failed to obtain proper police permissions and didn't provide sufficient time for crowd management arrangements. Against this backdrop of safety failures, Prasad and his team have outlined an ambitious transformation plan. Beyond immediate safety measures, the manifesto promises to develop Chinnaswamy into a "future-ready smart stadium" with digital ticketing systems, advanced crowd management technology, and enhanced fan experiences.

The team also plans to expand seating capacity from the current 35,000 to around 50,000, though Prasad acknowledged the engineering challenges. "We need to work on that. Because as I said earlier, this was built in 1974 for the first Test match. I'm sure we cannot take it to 80,000 and so on. So probably another 15,000 more, maybe up to 50,000 and now it's 34,000-35,000."

With KSCA currently functioning without an elected secretary and a treasurer following post-tragedy resignations, the team emphasized the urgency of restoring relationships with government authorities. "One of the preconditions whenever the BCCI allots matches, they give us a deadline to get the state government permission. If we don't get the permission, they will not host the matches," Mruthyunjaya explained. "In the current situation, as you know that the permission has been denied... What we mean to say is, we are going to work together to see that as and when the match comes to Bangalore, we will put our efforts to get the necessary permissions from the government agencies."

Other plans for the stadium, revealed by Prasad and the team, include a Lord's-inspired cricket museum with interactive exhibits and virtual reality experiences showcasing Karnataka's cricket heritage, designed to make Chinnaswamy a tourist destination that generates revenue while preserving cricket history. The team also announced plans to name the ends at the stadium after Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, while stands will be dedicated to Shanta Rangaswamy and former BCCI Secretary C. Nagaraj.

The KSCA is set to go to polls later this year, with elections likely in October or November.