Overview:
The revised arrangements see Kohli returning to domestic white-ball action and Pant leading Delhi at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
The marquee Vijay Hazare Trophy clash featuring Delhi and Andhra will no longer be staged at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, dealing a blow to fans in Bengaluru. The KSCA announced that the fixture, along with others scheduled at the ground, has been shifted to the BCCI Centre of Excellence after fresh instructions from the Karnataka Home Ministry.
Officials have pointed to safety concerns as the reason for the shift, with the matches set to be staged without fans and well clear of central Bengaluru.
The prospect of seeing Kohli and Rishabh Pant in action prompted the KSCA to move the fixtures to the Chinnaswamy Stadium last week in a bid to handle security and logistics more efficiently. That plan was halted on Tuesday after the state authorities raised fresh concerns over the stadium’s readiness.
The move reflects the state government’s guarded approach in the aftermath of the June 2025 stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL title celebrations, an incident that claimed 11 lives and injured several others.
An initial proposal from the KSCA to permit fans in two stands, accommodating roughly 2,000–3,000 people, failed to get clearance after authorities raised issues related to safety and compliance.
The revised arrangements see Kohli returning to domestic white-ball action and Pant leading Delhi at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, a venue known for closed-door fixtures. Delhi will also have Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini in the squad for the 2025–26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with all four players available.