Vijay Hazare Trophy Matches Shifted from Chinnaswamy Stadium to BCCI Centre of Excellence Over Security Concerns

All Vijay Hazare Trophy matches originally scheduled to be held at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium have been relocated to the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) following a directive from the Karnataka government, citing security-related concerns.

Confirming the development, a DDCA official told IANS that the decision was taken earlier in the day based on inputs from the state government. Both teams scheduled to play the opening fixture were informed in advance, and their pre-match training sessions have also been shifted to the BCCI CoE. The Delhi team has been notified that their practice session against Andhra Pradesh will now take place at the new venue.

All Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in Bengaluru will be conducted behind closed doors, without spectators. The Bengaluru Police have assured tight security arrangements around the Aerospace Park area, where the BCCI CoE is located.

Police Deny Permission After Safety Review

The Karnataka Police denied permission to host the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Delhi and Andhra Pradesh at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, citing serious safety and crowd-management issues.

The decision followed a detailed inspection conducted by Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and the Fire Department, who identified shortcomings in the stadium’s infrastructure and emergency preparedness.

Earlier this week, a government-appointed committee comprising officials from the police, public works, fire safety departments, along with representatives from BESCOM, inspected the stadium and submitted a comprehensive report to the state government.

The Bengaluru City Police Commissioner had earlier issued a 17-point safety advisory, outlining mandatory compliance measures. The inspection committee assessed adherence to these guidelines and concluded that the conditions were not met.

“As per the inspection report, permission has not been granted to host the match at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The committee has submitted a detailed report to the government,” Commissioner Singh said.

Despite earlier assurances from the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) regarding hosting high-profile matches involving players like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, authorities have opted for caution in the interest of public safety.