Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 13 (ANI): Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who is contesting for the post of President in the upcoming Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) elections, has promised to bring back the glory days of Karnataka cricket and ensure that Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium continues to host international and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

'We are all here for a purpose, we are all here for a cause and cricket is number one,' Prasad said after filing his nomination.

'Our domestic structure within the state used to be at the top when Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath were heading this association. After that, we've seen a decline, and now we want to revive the game and the infrastructure. We want to get back international matches because without them, what is (M) Chinnaswamy Stadium? It's such an iconic venue. You need to have international matches, you need to have IPL matches as well. We've been hearing news about matches going somewhere else, but we are very sure and we are gonna work extremely hard to make sure that the Bengaluru team plays here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium,' he added.

The former India bowler also emphasized the importance of developing academies and reviving women's cricket in the state.

'It's all about academies, it's all about women's cricket, which has done so well but in the last three years, women's cricket has gone to the docks,' he added.

Prasad also highlighted the need to care for KSCA's life members, expressing concern over how they have been treated.

'It's about life members, making sure that we take care of them, and give them the best because I've spoken to a lot of my life members and they were literally crying when they were talking to me, saying that, look, they call us by 2 o'clock in the afternoon and make us wait till 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock in the night or 10 o'clock sometimes and most of them are 70, 75, or maybe 75-plus. So yeah, and the public. What about the public? We need to give them the best. They're an integral part. Very much an integral part, you know, as a stakeholder. So we need to give them the best,' he noted.

Speaking on behalf of Prasad's team, KSCA member Vinay Mruthyunjaya said their panel represents a blend of cricketing and administrative experience.

'We are a team of international cricketers, men and women, national cricketers, state cricketers, seasoned administrators, qualified professionals. It's a composition of a team. All expertise are coming. When legendary cricketers are heading our team, I don't see anything for us to be concerned with respect to the way cricket will be run,' he said.

Mruthyunjaya also raised the issue of accountability over the recent stampede incident during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) victory parade, calling for those involved in the previous committee to refrain from contesting the elections.

'With Venkatesh Prasad, Sujith Somasundar, Avinash Vaidya around, I am 100% sure that cricket will not be compromised at any time and one more most unfortunate incident, what has happened recently, the stampede. I want to speak on the morality. Actually, when the people were part of the team, I don't think any committee member gave you any bite, gave any information. Nothing has been shared. What was the reason it led to the stampede? It's on the moral grounds. I don't think anybody who was part of the committee should contest these elections. That's very unfortunate. Very unfortunate, they're contesting. In fact, we have good candidates who are part of the team who are not part of the decision-making. On the moral ground, they have taken a stand. They don't want to contest an election. Morally, they're responsible for the stampede, for losing love and innocent lives. It's on morality. We can't insist. I think if at all any morality is there, none of them who are part of the committee should actually contest these elections. At least there's somewhere conscious should answer. The conscious should know what it is, then they should take a decision. In my opinion, anybody part of the committee, when the stampede happened, they don't have any moral right to contest the election,' he said.

Former India and Karnataka cricketer Sujith Somasundar, who is also part of Prasad's team, stressed that the group's main goal is to strengthen the game.

'The primary objective is to develop and promote the game,' Somasundar said.

'We need to take care of the life members, because of them, we have this lovely stadium. We must bring back the stadium and ensure the members and the life members have a great experience and watch these matches,' he noted. (ANI)