Vijay Hazare Trophy: Kohli-Pant’s game to be played behind closed doors

The presence of marquee India players in the opening round of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is posing a security challenge for local authorities at different venues — with reports emerging that the high-profile tournament opener between Delhi and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday has been shifted out of Bengaluru's iconic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The likely presence of Virat Kohli at the venue — which saw a deadly stampede during the IPL victory celebrations in early June — reportedly prompted the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to shift the match to the remote BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) following a late directive from the Karnataka home ministry on the morning of Tuesday, 23 December. This means the matches will be played behind ‘closed doors’, preventing fans from gathering at the venue in huge numbers.

Anticipating a massive turnout for a glimpse of Kohli and Rishabh Pant — who are expected to feature for Delhi in some of the matches — the KSCA moved the games to their signature stadium last week to manage the logistics and security of such high-profile athletes. However, media reports say the state government intervened, citing unresolved safety concerns at the stadium, which saw the city being deprived of the ICC Women’s World Cup matches earlier.

The KSCA had initially considered opening two stands to the public, which could have accommodated 2,000-3,000 spectators. However, the government shot down the proposal, citing security concerns and compliance issues.

Meanwhile, reports from Jaipur suggest a fan frenzy to catch a glimpse of former India captain Rohit Sharma, who is available for selection for Mumbai’s opening game against minnows Sikkim as well as against Uttarakhand (26 December). As Rohit left after the training session on Tuesday, he was swarmed by supporters, forcing security personnel to form a human chain to escort him safely to his vehicle.

Videos of his practice session and exit from the stadium have gone viral on social media. Wearing his Mumbai training kit, Rohit was seen walking alongside his teammates while security struggled to control the crowd. Fans stood patiently, cheering and clicking videos, clearly excited to see the former India skipper up close.

 It will be a star-studded Vijay Hazare Trophy this time around with the BCCI making it imperative to play at least two domestic matches if there are no international commitments or injury issues. The Big Two are only icing on the cake to a list of marquee players which include Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul among others.