The iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, which is widely regarded as the focal point of Karnataka cricket, is ready to reopen for competitive cricket following one of the sad incidents on June 4. The venue will host matches of the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) famous K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy for the first time since the stampede catastrophe that killed 11 people during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) celebrations of their IPL win. Fans won’t be permitted inside the stadium, though.
When RCB took the first IPL trophy home, thousands of fans came to the stadium to make merry. Poor management of the gates and the number of people led to a deadly stampede that killed eleven people and injured more than fifty. Subsequently, an inquiry commissioned by the government discovered that the Chinnaswamy stadium was not safe to host such a large event because of the structural and crowd-controlling problems in the stadium.
The RCB first said nothing but then promised financial support, while the KSCA was criticized in the aftermath. Authorities were compelled by the incident to reconsider the stadium’s viability for hosting important events, which resulted in limitations and even the loss of the venue’s ability to host the Maharaja Trophy and multiple Women’s World Cup matches.
RCB announce revised compensation package for victims’ families
K Thimmappiah Memorial Trophy, a red-ball preseason tournament of 16 teams, including Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Himachal are bound to come back to the venue in cricket despite the round-the-clock surveillance. It will feature the likes of established Indian players such as Vijay Shankar, Hanuma Vihari, Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane. The stadium will host 6 games, one semi-final and the final on September 26.
All games will take place behind closed doors in accordance with safety regulations. Due to a BESCOM power outage, the KSCA is currently reliant on generators and solar power and is still dealing with compliance difficulties, including fire safety rules.
In the meantime, RCB has revealed an updated compensation plan for the relatives of the fatalities. Along with a long-term commitment to enhancing crowd safety and helping fans, the franchise has promised INR 25 lakh to each grieving family under their new program, RCB Cares.
