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 as the mark of a new chapter of ‘good cricketing management’, and Prasad says he comes with a full team and a clear 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 major 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 unfortunate Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede and what ‘Team Game Changers’ said
was years of mismanagement, the fate of Karnataka cricket finally came down to the 1,563 life members and 348 institutional members marking their ballot. A total of 1,315 votes were cast, and counting spanned 20 rounds
This election was seen as one that had all the drama of a five-day Test, complete with allegations, legal twists, and a deep divide between two powerful cricketing camps.
For Prasad, this is 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 as 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 will change that,” he said, making it clear that the target is not 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 good margin in all key posts. The message from the membership was clear: change, accountability, and revival. This election was exactly that battle.
“We need to get cricket back to Chinnaswamy Stadium. And for that, we need an administration free of back-seat driving,” Prasad had said while announcing his candidature.
The former India fast bowler, buoyed by a wave of dissatisfaction over the KSCA’s internal drift, has now returned as president with the kind of mandate most captains dream of.
Kumble had earlier said during the campaign launch, “Karnataka cricket is suffering. Whatever we built in those three years has been undone. That is why we are 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 two decades — except during the 2010–13 Kumble–Prasad–Srinath period.
Prasad questioned Team Brijesh’s ‘financial discipline’ claims: “They talk about saving crores, but that’s BCCI grant money meant to be used for state cricket. What’s the point 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 year.
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 without a functioning structure for months. Prasad’s team alleged that four members of the managing committee who had stepped down citing moral grounds after the incident were also contesting key posts in the elections, calling it unethical.
All of this added urgency to this election, turning it into more than an internal contest — a fight over whether Karnataka cricket stays in the game or continues sitting in the pavilion.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also cast his vote as a member of KSCA, said, “I will not allow IPL matches to be shifted out of Chinnaswamy. This is Karnataka’s pride.” He also promised a new cricket stadium for Bengaluru.
Speaking about his long association with KSCA, Shivakumar added, “I am a member of KSCA. Nagaraj, whose son was my classmate, gave me membership when I was very young. I know many cricketers, including Prasanna and Anil Kumble, through Brijesh Patel. I have cast my vote for the ones 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.
Another 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 prominent role as Head of Cricket Education at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, said his decision was driven by a larger 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 issue 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 came back into the fray for the top post in 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 because the sports body he represented had an outstanding subscription arrear of ₹200.”
Shanthakumar approached the High Court, which intervened, restored his nomination, and directed that polls be held on December 7.
