BENGALURU: Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, along with members of his team “Game Changers”, has accused the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) of large-scale mismanagement under former cricketer Brijesh Patel. Prasad announced his candidature for the president’s post in the upcoming KSCA elections on November 30, with Sujith Somasundar contesting for vice president and Vinay Mruthyunjaya for secretary. He received the backing of former cricketers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.
He alleged that Brijesh who earlier served as KSCA’s honorary secretary, has been de facto running the association for over two decades, barring the 2010–13 period when Kumble, Prasad and their team were in charge. “They talk about saving hundreds of crores of rupees, but that is BCCI grant money meant to be invested in state cricket.
What is the point in boasting about saving it?” Prasad questioned. He also expressed disappointment over M Chinnaswamy Stadium not getting any matches for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in February 2026, calling it a “fall from grace” due to poor management.
Highlighting the condition of cricket facilities, Somasundar pointed to the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur and academies in Belagavi that have fallen into disrepair. Another major issue raised was the stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4.
The team alleged that four members of the managing committee, who had stepped down citing moral grounds after the incident, are now contesting key posts in the upcoming elections. “The entire committee should have resigned after the stampede. Instead, four of them are back in the fray. They are the ‘stampede committee’, not the managing committee,” Mruthyunjaya said.
Kumble criticised the lack of a Karnataka representative in the World Cup-winning India Women’s Cricket Team, calling it a reflection of the state’s declining cricket infrastructure that “needs a serious upgrade.”