Belagavi:  Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the future of cricket at Bengaluru’s historic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will be decided after discussing the matter in the cabinet meeting to be held this evening. The meeting will also decide whether Bengaluru will host the IPL matches to be held next year.

Speaking to media persons after meeting with the newly-elected KSCA Managing Committee members including President Venkatesh Prasad and Vice-President Sujith Somasundar, Dy.CM Shivakumar said, “We have no intention of stopping cricket matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium, but we have to think of crowd control measures. We will also have to incorporate Michael D. Cunha Committee suggestions in a phased manner. Venkatesh Prasad has also agreed to it. Our government is committed to cricket and cricket fans without denting the reputation of the State.”

Earlier, Venkatesh Prasad described the meeting with CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM as “extremely positive and fruitful.”

The issue has taken centre stage ever since the June 4 stampede that claimed 11 lives and left hundreds injured during celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL victory. Nearly six months later, the stadium gates remain shut, its once-familiar buzz replaced by lingering questions about accountability, preparedness and public safety.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also preferred to host the Duleep Trophy matches and India ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’ series at BCCI Centre of Excellence instead of                            Chinnaswamy Stadium. The ICC Women’s World Cup matches including the finals was also                                                         moved out of KSCA after the Secretary and Treasurer resigned on moral grounds following the stampede incident.

The demand to reopen the stadium has come not only from cricket fans eager for the return of live matches but also from KSCA officials who argue that the city cannot afford to lose marquee fixtures, especially the IPL. Bengaluru’s economy, they say, benefits immensely from the cricketing season, from hospitality to retail and transport sectors.

However, voices from the other side of the debate insist that the emotional and financial costs of another safety lapse would be far greater. Safety experts point out that merely implementing crowd-management guidelines or issuing advisories is not enough. They argue that an independent, third-party structural and safety audit must be completed, not partially, not in phases, before Chinnaswamy is allowed to host even a domestic fixture.