BENGALURU: Permission to host Vijay Hazare Trophy matches scheduled for Wednesday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been denied, Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said on Tuesday during a press conference.
The decision follows the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) failing to implement corrective measures recommended in the aftermath of the stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory celebrations.
As a result, the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, scheduled for Wednesday, will not be held at the stadium. Star cricketer Virat Kohli was set to play the match for Delhi.
The Commissioner said permission was denied after a committee comprising officials from the police, Fire and Emergency Services, BESCOM, and the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) conducted an inspection of the stadium on Tuesday. Based on the committee’s report, permission for the match scheduled on Wednesday was denied, he said.
Following the stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB’s victory celebrations on June 11, which claimed 11 lives, including two minors, and left several others injured, matches at the stadium were suspended.
Subsequently, the Justice Michael D’Cunha Committee made several recommendations, including 17 corrective measures. However, KSCA has failed to implement any of these recommendations, leading to the denial of permission, a senior police officer said.