Bengaluru: Authorities on Tuesday denied permission to host the Vijay Hazare Trophy match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, scheduled for December 24, citing unresolved safety concerns following a fatal tragedy at the venue earlier this year.

Safety Compliance and the "17-Point" Mandate

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had requested to hold the 50-over match, originally set to feature star batter Virat Kohli playing for Delhi against Andhra Pradesh, behind closed doors without spectators. However, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh confirmed that the request was rejected following an inspection by a high-level committee.

"Based on the committee's recommendation, permission has been rejected. So there is no match there tomorrow," Singh told reporters. He noted that the police had previously issued a 17-point safety recommendation to the KSCA, and the committee’s detailed report indicated that compliance was not yet sufficient to resume activities at the stadium.

Background of the Ban

Major cricket events have been suspended at the Chinnaswamy Stadium since June 4, 2024, when a massive stampede occurred during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL victory celebrations. The crush, which claimed 11 lives, led to a judicial inquiry by the Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission and prompted strict new crowd-management protocols.

The oversight committee, led by Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao, conducted a final walkthrough of the facility on Monday evening. The panel included the Police Commissioner along with representatives from the Fire, Health, PWD, and BESCOM departments.

Shift in Venue

In response to the denial of permission, the match has been shifted to the BCCI’s newly inaugurated Centre of Excellence (CoE) on the city’s outskirts.

Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara, who had previously met with KSCA officials to discuss the facility's readiness, emphasised that the government would strictly follow the expert panel's feedback. "The committee will review what has been complied with and inform the government," he stated on Monday.