Former India Pacer Prasad Elected KSCA President, Ushers in New Leadership Era After Turbulent Year

Bengaluru, Dec 2025 : Former India fast bowler and national selector Prasad was on Sunday elected as the new President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) following a closely watched election held during the Association’s Annual General Meeting at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. His victory marks the beginning of a new leadership chapter for the state’s premier cricket body at a time when it is seeking stability and reform after a challenging year.

Alongside Prasad, former India cricketer Sujith Somasunder was elected as Vice President, while Santosh Menon returned as Secretary, a position he earlier held from 2019 to 2022. B.N. Madhukar was elected Treasurer, while BK Ravi, representing the rival KN Shanth Kumar panel, secured the post of Joint Secretary.

Prasad, who represented India in 33 Tests and 161 One-Day Internationals, earlier served as KSCA Vice President between 2010 and 2013. He contested the election leading the ‘Team Game Changers’ panel, which registered a dominant performance by winning most key posts. The panel had the backing of two Karnataka cricket stalwarts — Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath — both of whom had earlier served as KSCA President and Secretary respectively during the 2010–2013 period.

In the presidential contest, Prasad secured 749 votes to defeat his closest rival KN Shanth Kumar, who polled 588 votes. The decisive margin now places the responsibility squarely on Prasad to deliver on the promises made in his election manifesto earlier this year, which focused on strengthening grassroots cricket, improving governance, and restoring the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s standing as an elite international venue.

Somasunder, who recently served as Head of Education at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, won the Vice President’s post with 719 votes, defeating D. Vinod Sivappa, who received 588 votes. Santosh Menon, returning to the Secretary’s role, secured 672 votes, narrowly edging past ES Jairam, who polled 632 votes.

For the Treasurer’s post, Madhukar emerged victorious with 736 votes, comfortably ahead of MS Vinay, who garnered 571 votes. Although the Prasad-led panel dominated the results, the Shanth Kumar camp found some consolation when BK Ravi clinched the Joint Secretary’s position with 669 votes, narrowly defeating AV Shashidhara, who received 638 votes.

Two candidates were elected as Life Members of the KSCA Managing Committee — VM Manjunath with 690 votes and Sailesh N. Poll with 618 votes. From the Bengaluru zone, former cricketers Kalpana Venkatachar (764 votes), Avinash Vaidya (691 votes), and Aashish Amarlall (703 votes) were elected to the three available positions, reflecting strong support for experienced cricketing administrators.

The leadership change comes at a sensitive moment for the KSCA, which has been under intense scrutiny following the tragic stampede at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory parade. The incident claimed 11 lives and raised serious concerns over crowd management and safety protocols at the iconic venue.

The election process itself witnessed intense competition and legal hurdles in the build-up, including the rejection of several nomination papers and a case filed in the High Court. Despite the controversies, Sunday’s election saw brisk participation, with 1,307 votes polled — slightly lower than the record 1,351 votes cast in the fiercely contested 2013 KSCA elections.

With a strong mandate now behind him, Prasad faces the immediate challenge of restoring confidence in the KSCA’s functioning while steering Karnataka cricket toward growth, professionalism, and renewed excellence.