NEW DELHI: KSCA president-elect Venkatesh Prasad began work on Wednesday by visiting the stadium in Belagavi and meeting Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to discuss steps to resume top-flight cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Prasad along with KSCA Vice President Sujith Somasundar and Secretary Santosh Menon inspected the Belagavi Stadium. Experienced administrator Vinay Mruthyanjaya was also part of the visit. KSCA Dharwad Division Convener Avinash Potdar joined the group as they discussed ways to improve cricket infrastructure across the state.After the inspection, Prasad said the development work will go beyond Bengaluru. “Belagavi, Shimoga, Tumakuru, Hubballi and all other centers will see development in the coming days as we aim to rebuild cricket and bring back better days to state cricket,” he said as quoted by news agency PTI.Prasad confirmed that the new KSCA management has already held discussions with the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and BCCI officials about restarting big-time cricket at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.“During the meeting, the newly elected management committee of KSCA, led by Mr. Venkatesh Prasad, expressed their commitment to extend full cooperation to the state government. Mr. Venkatesh Prasad also requested the Hon’ble CM and DCM to grant necessary permissions to resume hosting cricket matches with spectators at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium, thus reviving the top-level event in Bengaluru.The stadium did not host major matches after the Women’s ODI World Cup matches were shifted from Bengaluru as the venue did not get the required permission.No tournaments have been held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium since 11 people died in a stampede near the venue on June 4 during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebrations.The BCCI later staged the inaugural season of the Duleep Trophy and two four-day matches of India A against South Africa A at its Center of Excellence premises instead of the City Stadium.
