BENGALURU: Amid rising concerns over Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) administrative stability in the aftermath of Wednesday’s stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, hosting of cricket in the city has taken a huge hit. The first casualty is the three-match one-day series between India ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’ scheduled to be held here from Nov 13 to 19.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Without specifying any reason, Indian cricket board (BCCI) issued a press release, stating Bengaluru matches have been shifted to Rajkot. The KSCA president did not dwell on the reasons but maintained that the stampede and change of venues were not related. Sources said the decision was taken on Thursday and communicated to KSCA.
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Before the limited-overs series, the two teams will play two multi-day red-ball matches and those will be held as per schedule at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) — a dedicated centre near the airport on the outskirts of the city.This could probably be the beginning of problems for KSCA as a host association. According to sources, BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are now weighing the feasibility of ICC Women’s WC matches that are to be held in Bengaluru between Sept and Nov. Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the five venues in India set to host the premier tournament with the Bengaluru facility earmarked for the opening contest involving India (on Sept 30), one semifinal (Oct 30) and the final (Nov 2) if Pakistan does not qualify, in which case it will be moved to Colombo.
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Speaking to TOI, former India captain Shantha Rangaswamy said, “I’m yet to come to terms with the tragedy at the stadium, which has brought joy and happiness to fans for 50 years. If the women’s World Cup matches are shifted out of Bengaluru, it will be a huge blow to cricket in the state. As for women’s cricket, we haven’t seen much growth in the past two-and-a-half years, and it will set us back further.”According to sources, it is unlikely KSCA will host a major cricket match for some time. To begin with, the stadium needs to be renovated, with the fan frenzy on Wednesday resulting in significant damage to the structure, including compound walls, railings, the staircase, and sanitation.
