Bengaluru: Former Indian medium-pacer Venkatesh Prasad has his task cut out as the new president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
The Prasad-led ‘Game Changers’ team took over the cricket administration Monday after they secured a hard-fought victory over their opponents, backed by former Indian cricketer Brijesh Patel in a bitter and hotly contested election.
Of the 1,307 votes that were cast, Prasad bagged 749 of them while his rival K.N.Shantha Kumar received 558 votes, according to details shared by the KSCA.
Kumar is an illustrious sports photographer and also the incumbent director of Bengaluru headquartered The Printers Mysore that publishes Deccan Herald and Prajavani newspapers.
Sujith Somasunder was elected as the vice-president and B.N.Madhukar is the new treasurer.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar, a life member of the KSCA, wished Prasad and said that he wanted the new managing committee to bring in “clean governance, renewed energy and a stronger future for cricket in Karnataka”.
Congratulations to former Indian cricketer Shri @venkateshprasad on being elected President of KSCA. My best wishes to the new team as they step into their new responsibilities. May your tenure bring clean governance, renewed energy and a stronger future for cricket in Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/Q0dRrb8cwR
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) December 8, 2025
Prasad is a favourite among pro-Hindutva groups, making several posts backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even criticising the Congress. In the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the former lanky bowler had used a cricketing analogy to criticise the Congress’s manifesto, which suggested redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor.
“The really poor need to be uplifted but this thought process is so pathetic. It is like saying If we take 4 points from RR and 4 from KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) and SRH (Sun Risers Hyderabad) and re-distribute it to the bottom 3 teams, they can make the playoffs,” Prasad had said.
One of the political party’s manifesto is to redistribute the wealth of the rich to the poor. The really poor need to be uplifted but this thought process is so pathetic.
It is like saying If we take 4 points from RR and 4 from KKR and SRH and re-distribute it to the bottom 3…
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) April 22, 2024
Prasad and his team took office Monday following an elaborate ceremony involving lengthy citing of rituals, hymns and prayers administered by a priest.
“Together, we hope to create a vibrant, transparent and future-ready cricketing environment for Karnataka, build a stronger ecosystem for Karnataka cricket and bring world-class cricket back to Chinnaswamy,” Prasad said in a post on X.
Thank you very much, sir 🙏🏼
Your support means a lot.
Together, we hope to create a vibrant, transparent and future-ready cricketing environment for Karnataka, build a stronger ecosystem for Karnataka cricket and bring world-class cricket back to Chinnaswamy. https://t.co/jrc5nTDGg0
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) December 8, 2025
The incoming cricket administration made extensive promises to revive the KSCA’s fledgling reputation, alleged irregularities by the previous administration and other problems.
Calls to Prasad went unanswered.
The June stampede outside the stadium killed 11 people and injured many more, leaving a permanent scar on Bengaluru and doubts cast on if the Chinnaswamy Stadium is fit enough to be considered as a viable venue for future international matches and remain the home ground for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) championship.
The stampede also casts a shadow of doubt if the RCB matches will continue to be played at the Chinnaswamy or shifted to another city.
“In the last three years, many unfortunate incidents have taken place…..(I am) not just talking about the stampede but in cricket also,” Prasad told reporters Sunday evening after the results were declared.
He added that several former Indian cricketers had openly talked about the irregularities during the previous administration, the dilapidating physical infrastructure of the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium, neglect of domestic cricket and largely defunct local academies that were hampering the growth of cricket in the state.
Karnataka has produced some of India’s most illustrious cricketing talents over the decades, including the likes of Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Gundappa Vishwanath, Syed Kirmani and countless others.
But the infighting and alleged inefficiency of the state board led to the neglect of several of its academies, adding to the decline of Karnataka’s influence in the game across the country.
“There has been absolute neglect of academies across Karnataka. Whether it is Tumkur, Alur, Hubbali or Belgavi…things have not improved an inch and there is no active participation in these places,” said one person directly aware of KSCA’s workings.
‘Commercial revenue being prioritised’
One former Indian cricketer told ThePrint that Prasad has to live up to his promises to bring back the IPL and other international matches to the city.
“I won’t allow shifting of IPL matches from here, we will ensure they are held here,” Shivakumar told reporters Sunday, adding that it was a question of Karnataka’s pride.
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government completely absolved itself of any responsibility for the stampede even though it held a felicitation ceremony for the RCB team members on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha where hundreds of thousands of people gathered.
Instead, Siddaramaiah suspended five police officers, including the former Bengaluru police commissioner, lodged cases against RCB executives and three KSCA office bearers.
On Monday, Amruthesh. N. P, a senior advocate at the Karnataka High Court, has since shot off a letter to the chief secretary, police chief and several others, citing concerns over Shivakumar’s statements to bring back the IPL to Bengaluru.
“Commercial and revenue considerations are being prioritised over human life and safety,” the advocate said, adding that if the government continues to pursue reopening the stadium for IPL, he would approach the courts.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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