Virat Kohli to play Chinnaswamy for the first time since the deadly rush after RCB’s IPL win

Indian legendary batsman Virat Kohli is likely to return for the Indian domestic tournament, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as per instructions from the BCCI. As a Delhi player, he is likely to return to action at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for the first time since the Stampede incident.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden title in the IPL last season before tragedy struck on their home ground at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. A huge crowd reached the Chinnaswamy Stadium for the victory celebrations, and the stampede subsequently led to action against the authorities and the takeover of the stadium by the BCCI.

Virat Kohli returns to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium

The decks for the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium have been cleared following the appointment of KSCA’s elected leader Venkatesh Prasad. He has also received permission to conduct the matches at the stadium from the Karnataka government, ESPNCricinfo reported.

As the BCCI now has the ground to host Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, Indian great Virat Kohli is set to make a comeback at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The KSCA is all set to shift the Delhi matches from Alur to Chinnaswamy due to security concerns arising from Kohli’s participation in the games. Besides Kohli, Rishabh Pant has also been included in the Delhi squad.

The game’s veterans, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, are both considered likely to be available for the first three matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy season; they will not be available for the entire tournament as they will have to return for India in the ODI series against New Zealand.

KSCA wants to make arrangements to open some stands for fans

On the sidelines of the state assembly, KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad and Vice President Sujith Somasunder are said to have held meetings with Bangalore Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and several other government agencies.

The talks have reportedly been fruitful as the KSCA looks forward to making arrangements for the participation of 2,000 to 3,000 fans at the Chinnaswamy, especially for the high-profile matches featuring Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.

During the meeting, the new committee headed by the former Indian pacer assured the government that it will make as many changes as possible from those suggested in Justice John D’Cunha’s report.

KSCA and Venkatesh Prasad are keen to organize IPL matches

Hosting the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches has only been proposed to take the first step forward in hosting IPL games later. The Venkatesh Prasad-led committee does not want the Chinnaswamy to lose their home matches against the Virat Kohli-based RCB team.

“We are on track to bring back the IPL,” an office-bearer aware of the developments told ESPNcricinfo. “To avoid future incidents, we have taken precautionary measures. We have granted permission accordingly,” Deputy CM also said after the meeting on Friday.

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