Bangalore: Chinnaswamy Stadium - an Ideal Ground for Controversy

Courtesy: Times TV

Bangalore, May 22:  A war between the Army and the Karnataka government has threatened the very existence of the legendary stadium - the cradle of modern Indian cricket.

The Army has claimed that the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which was leased by it to the state government, should be handed back to it by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). The Army has also written to the state revenue ministry on the issue.

Commenting on the issue, Pallam Raju, MoS, Defence said: "I know that there is a record of the discussions that took place at that time in 1964. The land according to the understanding reached then was handed over to the Karnataka government towards whatever they were going to do. But the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has the right to repossess any land that it has given at any point in time."

The Chinnaswamy stadium is one of India's most hallowed cricket grounds that has witnessed some of the country's unwitnessed battles, however, now with the Army saying that they want the stadium back, cricket-lovers and administrators are desperately hoping to duck this unexpected bouncer.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has stated that the land is theirs and is contesting the Army's view saying that the Army has no business trying to take over the stadium because it doesn't belong to it. Interestingly, the government has claimed sole ownership of the stadium.

M P Prakash, Karnataka home and law minister said:” The Army is claiming that the land is their's. They don't want to disturb the stadium but they want de jure possession of the stadium, however, we have got our own records to prove that it belongs to the government."

The Chinnaswamy stadium is a home to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) - one of the country's best cricket associations, not just because it has produced some of the country's best cricketers, but also because the stadium is a home to National Cricket Academy (NCA) - India's premiere cricket academy. Thus, it's not surprising then that the news of the Army's proposed takeover hasn't gone down too well with the members of the KSCA.

In a country where cricket is a passion, this row over land, especially a land which is training ground for India's cricketing future, almost amounts to blasphemy.

More on the stadium
(Source: Wikipedia)

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the premier cricket stadiums of India, located in Bangalore, Karnataka. Flanked by picturesque Cubbon Park and uptown MG Road, this three-decade-old stadium is situated in the heart of the city of Bangalore.

Formerly known as Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) stadium, the ground was later rechristened in tribute to Mr. M. Chinnaswamy who had served the KSCA for four decades and was president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1977-1980.

This 55,000 capacity stadium not only regularly hosts Tests, One-day internationals and other first class matches, but also other musical and cultural events. The stadium is the home ground of the Karnataka state cricket team.

With generous patronage from Karnataka state government, the foundation stone of this stadium was laid in 1969 and the construction work was commenced in 1970. The stadium was first used for first-class cricket matches during the 1972-73 season. It earned Test status during 1974-75 season when the West Indies toured India.

The first Test played at this stadium was on 22-29 November 1974. Incidentally, this was the début Test match for the West Indian batting giants Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge. The West Indians led by Clive Lloyd crushed M. A. K. Pataudi's Indian team by a convincing 256 runs.

India registered their first Test win on this ground against the touring English team led by Tony Greig in 1976-77. The first one-day international match at this venue was played on 6 September 1982. India defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets in that match.

Floodlights were first installed at this stadium for the 1996 Wills World Cup. The first match under lights was the quarter-final clash between arch rivals India and Pakistan on March 9, 1996 in which India defeated Pakistan by 39 runs in a thrilling encounter.

After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chose Bangalore as the centre for the National Cricket Academy in 2000, many budding cricketers have passed out of the academy housed on this ground. This stadium also served as venue for the 1996 Miss World pageant.

The KSCA plans to increase the seating capacity to 70,000.