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Venkatesh Prasad, backed by Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, won the KSCA presidency, marking a brand new era for Karnataka cricket after Chinnaswamy Stadium’s troubled phase.
Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad (Instagram)
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad is now the President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). His team, called the ‘game changers’, sees the triumph because the mark of a brand new chapter of ‘good cricketing management’, and Prasad says he comes with a full team and a transparent statement of intent.
Backed by cricket legends like Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath won the KSCA presidential election by a margin of 191 votes, defeating journalist and director of a serious Bengaluru newspaper, K.N. Shanthakumar, backed by Team Brijesh Patel, a former Indian cricketer and ‘an influential’ former KSCA secretary. Prasad polled 749 votes, and Shanthakumar polled 558 votes.
After the unlucky Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede and what ‘Team Game Changers’ said was years of mismanagement, the fate of Karnataka cricket finally got here right down to the 1,563 life members and 348 institutional members marking their ballot. A complete of 1,315 votes were solid, and counting spanned 20 rounds
This election was seen as one which had all of the drama of a five-day Test, complete with allegations, legal twists, and a deep divide between two powerful cricketing camps.
For Prasad, this can be a homecoming, returning to the KSCA after 12 years. From 2010 to 2013, he served as vice-president with Anil Kumble as president and Javagal Srinath as secretary — a period many still remember because the KSCA’s most professionally run phase, when Karnataka cricket was firmly on the front foot.
Prasad has been categorical about what his intent to contest the election meant. “Between 2010–13, we never allowed back-seat driving. That’s when cricket flourished, and infrastructure flourished. Today, it pains me to see the state of mofussil centres. We are going to change that,” he said, making it clear that the goal will not be just winning the election but retaking control of the dressing room and the dugout.
Team Game Changers didn’t just win — they won with a superb margin in all key posts. The message from the membership was clear: change, accountability, and revival. This election was exactly that battle.
“We’d like to get cricket back to Chinnaswamy Stadium. And for that, we’d like an administration freed from back-seat driving,” Prasad had said while announcing his candidature.
The previous India fast bowler, buoyed by a wave of dissatisfaction over the KSCA’s internal drift, has now returned as president with the form of mandate most captains dream of.
Kumble had earlier said in the course of the campaign launch, “Karnataka cricket is suffering. Whatever we inbuilt those three years has been undone. That’s the reason we’re here — to make a difference again.”
Throughout the campaign, Prasad’s team repeatedly alleged that Patel had been the de facto controller of the KSCA for over twenty years — except in the course of the 2010–13 Kumble–Prasad–Srinath period.
Prasad questioned Team Brijesh’s ‘financial discipline’ claims: “They discuss saving crores, but that’s BCCI grant money meant for use for state cricket. What’s the purpose of boasting about saving it?” he asked.
Following the stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s IPL victory celebrations — which left the KSCA facing heavy scrutiny — the association had been mired in administrative instability. Chinnaswamy Stadium, once the sacred home of Karnataka cricket, had been blacklisted on safety grounds after the stampede that took place in July this 12 months.
The world-class venue has lost international fixtures, including key matches of the ICC Women’s World Cup, has hosted domestic games without spectators, and has seen infrastructural stagnation, especially in mofussil centres.
Resignations across key positions left the system and not using a functioning structure for months. Prasad’s team alleged that 4 members of the managing committee who had stepped down citing moral grounds after the incident were also contesting key posts within the elections, calling it unethical.
All of this added urgency to this election, turning it into greater than an internal contest — a fight over whether Karnataka cricket stays in the sport or continues sitting within the pavilion.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also solid his vote as a member of KSCA, said, “I is not going to allow IPL matches to be shifted out of Chinnaswamy. That is Karnataka’s pride.” He also promised a brand new cricket stadium for Bengaluru.
Speaking about his long association with KSCA, Shivakumar added, “I’m a member of KSCA. Nagaraj, whose son was my classmate, gave me membership once I was very young. I do know many cricketers, including Prasanna and Anil Kumble, through Brijesh Patel. I actually have solid my vote for those I support.”
Prasad has said that what pained every true cricketer and cricket aficionado was the absence of the Chinnaswamy from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures. He called it a ‘fall from grace’, blaming poor management and crumbling infrastructure for Karnataka cricket being pushed to the sidelines.
One other closely watched contest was for the post of vice-president, where former Karnataka captain Sujith Somasundar, a key member of ‘Team Game Changers’, defeated Vinod Shivappa with 719 votes against 588.
Somasundar, who resigned from his distinguished role as Head of Cricket Education on the BCCI Centre of Excellence, said his decision was driven by a bigger purpose: “Our own cricket ecosystem back home was losing its direction. It’s not about position or power — it’s about restoring pride,” Somasundar had said.
B.N. Madhukar was elected treasurer with 736 votes while M.S. Vinay polled 571. Santosh Menon won as honorary secretary with 675 votes against E.S. Jairam’s 632. B.K. Ravi clinched the joint secretary post with 669 votes, narrowly defeating A.V. Shashidhara, who finished with 639.
The run-up to the elections had its own twist. Shanthakumar’s nomination was initially rejected over the non-payment of ₹200 in dues by the sports body he represented. Team Brijesh dismissed the problem as a trivial technicality.
The High Court of Karnataka later permitted K.N. Shanthakumar to contest the elections for the post of KSCA president. His nomination, which the Returning Officer had rejected over the ₹200 arrear, was cleared following the court’s order. With the court allowing his candidature, Shanthakumar got here back into the fray for the highest post within the KSCA.
An official statement from Team Brijesh, which backed Shanthakumar, had then said: “The nomination of K.N. Shantha Kumar for the post of president of the KSCA was rejected since the sports body he represented had an excellent subscription arrear of ₹200.”
Shanthakumar approached the High Court, which intervened, restored his nomination, and directed that polls be held on December 7.
Click here so as to add News18 as your chosen news source on Google. December 07, 2025, 22:54 IST
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