Spectators barred; only players, team owners, media to be allowed

Mysore/Mysuru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is all set to host the fourth edition of Maharaja T20 Tournament in Mysuru.

According to sources, Bengaluru City Police is said to have denied permission to host the tournament at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, following which the KSCA Managing Committee decided to host the tournament at the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium in Mysuru city from Aug. 11 to Aug. 28.

Sources further added that the Bengaluru Police is said to have denied permission following the stampede incident that took place in front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 where 11 persons were killed. The case is still under investigation.

The KSCA is said to have also written to the Office of the Mysuru City Police Commissioner seeking permission to host the tournament in Mysuru.

However, it is believed that the Police Department is yet to reply to the KSCA authorities.

The tournament in Mysuru will be hosted under closed doors as decided by KSCA authorities earlier.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, one of the KSCA officials confirmed that the tournament is being hosted in Mysuru and is being held under closed doors, with only team owners and media persons allowed to watch matches. 

City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said that they were yet to scrutinise the application and hold talks with KSCA authorities before taking a decision.

The stadium has four wickets on which the matches will be played when compared to Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has about 10 wickets. Moreover, with no spectators allowed inside the stadium, the matches in tournament will have no glitter, as they will remind spectators of the cricket matches that were held during COVID-19 period.

Traditionally, the wickets at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium are batting-friendly, with teams having scored more than 200 runs in T20 cricket on a number of occasions. The Maharaja Trophy, being held before Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will be a preparatory tournament for State cricketers to gear up for BCCI tournament.