Karnataka HM G Parameshwara meets KSCA Prez Venkatesh Prasad and others to discuss hosting matches at M Chinnaswamy

The session was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department Tushar Girinath, State DGP M A Salim, GBA Commissioner Maheshwar Rao, Home Department Secretary KV Sarathchandra, Bangalore City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad, KSCA Secretary and the Indian Premier League's (IPL) Bengaluru-based franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) office bearers.

After the meeting, KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad said they were awaiting the Cabinet decision on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, describing the outcome as "extremely positive" and thanking Home Minister G Parameshwara for forming the committee. He added that all suggestions have been considered, and work is progressing according to recommendations.

"We have to wait for the call that they are going to take this decision this evening in the Cabinet. It looks extremely positive, but there are quite a few suggestions that they have made, and we have taken all those suggestions, and the work is in place already, and I need to share my sincere gratitude to the Home Minister, who literally constituted this committee. Everything is going as per the recommendations that are given, and by this evening, they're going to make a decision...," Venkatesh Prasad told ANI.

Karnataka HM G Parameshwara said that the meeting lasted for over two hours and noted that the KSCA has complied with some recommendations and has been asked to address the remaining, including infrastructure-related issues. With RCB keen to host the IPL opening match at their home ground as defending champions, Parameshwara said the government will take a final call after he briefs the Cabinet.

"We had a meeting of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) representatives, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) representatives, and our officials. The meeting lasted more than 2 hours and discussed many topics. The recommendations of Justice Kunha's report were communicated to KSCA, and we asked them to take steps to address them. Some are infrastructure, and some are not. They have already complied with some of the recommendations. Now that IPL is coming, and Bengaluru's RCB won the IPL last time, there's a rule that the host team, in that place only, starts the IPL with the opening match. Since they (RCB) won last time, they want to host the inaugural match there (in Bengaluru). But whether to permit or not to permit, the government has to make a decision. About today's discussion, I will brief the Cabinet, and the Cabinet will make the decision...," the Karnataka HM said while speaking to reporters.

For the unversed, cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been suspended since June last year after 11 people died and several were injured in a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL title celebration. (ANI)