Bengaluru, Dec 7 (NationPress) The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has a new president, with former Indian fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad elected during the Annual General Meeting held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

Alongside him, former cricketer Sujith Somasunder has assumed the role of vice president, and Santosh Menon has been re-elected as secretary, a position he previously held from 2019 to 2022. B.N. Madhukar has taken on the role of treasurer, while BK Ravi from the opposing KN Shanth Kumar panel has secured the Joint Secretary position.

Prasad, who previously served as KSCA vice president from 2010 to 2013 after playing 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India, has stated that his panel, known as Team Game Changers, aims to rejuvenate the focus on cricket within the state and restore the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s status as an international venue.

The panel led by Prasad received support from former Indian players Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, both of whom held significant positions within the KSCA from 2010 to 2013. Prasad garnered 749 votes, outperforming his closest competitor KN Shanth Kumar, who received 588 votes. Prasad now has the opportunity to fulfill the commitments outlined in the manifesto released by his Team Game Changers earlier this year.

Somasunder, who recently led the education sector at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, secured 719 votes for vice president, surpassing D Vinod Sivappa’s 588 votes. Menon clinched the secretary post with 672 votes, edging out ES Jairam, who received 632 votes.

Madhukar won the treasurer position with 736 votes against MS Vinay, who got 571 votes. The Shanth Kumar panel celebrated a victory when Ravi secured the Joint Secretary post with 669 votes, narrowly defeating AV Shashidhara, who garnered 638 votes.

For the two life member spots on the managing committee, VM Manjunath (690 votes) and Sailesh N Poll (618 votes) were elected. In the three positions allocated to the Bengaluru zone, former cricketers Kalpana Venkatachar (764 votes), Avinash Vaidya (691 votes), and Aashish Amarlall (703 votes) were successful.

This new leadership era for the KSCA comes after a challenging period following the tragic stampede at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory celebration, which resulted in 11 fatalities.

The elections were marked by fierce competition, with multiple nomination rejections and a case in the High Court leading up to this significant event. A total of 1,307 votes were cast in Sunday’s election, slightly fewer than the record 1,351 votes in 2013.