Former India speedster Venkatesh Prasad will contest for the president's post in the upcoming elections at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and his panel for the election has received a strong backing from legendary stars Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.
Venkatesh Prasad look to get cricket back to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
The KSCA election is scheduled for November 30, and the interested candidates can file their respective nominations from November 12 to 16. The Raghuram Bhatt-led dispensation's tenure ended on September 30. Prasad, who was the inaugural coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (Royal Challengers Bengaluru now) (RCB) in 2008, said that he will look to get cricket back to their home venue M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
"I will be contesting for the post of president. We need to get cricket back to Chinnaswamy Stadium, and for that we need an administration free of back-seat driving," said Prasad in a press meet to announce his candidature.
Another member from Venkatesh Prasad's panel
Apart from Venkatesh, another prominent from his panel are former India batter Sujith Somasundar (vice-president), seasoned administrator Vinay Mruthynjaya (secretary), AV Shashidhar (joint secretary), Madhukar (treasurer) and former Karnataka cricketer Avinash Vaidya (institutional member from Bengaluru Zone).
Somasundar has stepped down from the post of the education head at the BCCI Centre of Excellence to contest in the state association elections.
"My answer is very simple the purpose was bigger for me. That's why it drove me here. I know I have spent a lot of years at the COE, trying to shape and develop the coaches and also help the Indian cricket education.
"But somewhere deep down, I could see that our own cricket ecosystem back home was losing its direction. It's not about position or power. I think, like I said, it's about restoring pride," said Somasundar.
Prasad said his panel will attempt to recreate the time between 2010-2013 when the Kumble-led administrators gave state cricket a massive fillip.
"That is when I was the vice-president, Anil Kumble was the president and Javagal Srinath was the secretary. Those are the only three years we never allowed anybody to take control or to drive this association from behind — the backseat driving syndrome.
Why is Chinnaswamy Stadium not hosting cricket events?
After RCB's maiden IPL win in 2025, Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has not hosted a cricketing event because the government-appointed judicial commission declared the venue "unsuitable and unsafe for large-scale events". The decision came after a tragic stampede that occurred outside the stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebrations in June 2025, which resulted in 11 deaths and over 50 injuries. The venue was supposed to host the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 where India defeated South Africa to clinch their maiden title but it was changed after judicial commission's report.