BENGALURU: The Vijay Hazare Trophy will mark Virat Kohli’s return to the white-ball domestic competition after a 15-year hiatus. It will also mark his return to Bengaluru after the tragic stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden Indian Premier League title triumph in June this year.
PTI on Tuesday quoted DDCA president Rohan Jaitley as saying, “He [Virat Kohli] has confirmed his availability to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. How many games he will feature in, that is not clear yet.”The 37-year-old will turn out for Delhi, his domestic team, who are slated to play all seven of their Group D league games in Bengaluru. As per the original schedule, Delhi, who begin their campaign against Andhra on Dec 24 at the KSCA Alur Stadium, will play five matches at Alur and two at the Chinnaswamy — against Services on Jan 3, and Haryana on Jan 8. India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is also likely to feature in these league fixtures, adding further star power.Confirming the fixtures, KSCA managing committee member in charge of cricket, MS Vinay, told TOI, “The matches are as per schedule at the two KSCA facilities. We have been hosting BCCI domestic matches since the start of the season without any hindrance. We will call for a managing committee meeting soon and discuss it.”But as the association continues to be denied permission to host matches with spectators, the question that looms is whether fans will be allowed into the Chinnaswamy.Vinay said the decision will rest with government authorities, adding, “Allowing spectators at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is a decision that will be taken in consultation with the police department and other authorities. We can’t say just yet that the matches will be held behind closed doors.”Even the Alur facility, though located on the city’s outskirts, has seen its share of crowd chaos. In 2017, when MS Dhoni turned up for Jharkhand in the same competition, with no spectator galleries at the venue, fans found vantage points along the compound wall.Expecting similar frenzy this time — perhaps more, given Kohli’s presence — the KSCA has begun preparations early.“We will also approach the city police commissioner regarding security at both venues,” Vinay added.
