India, Aug. 23 -- I visited the cricket stadium, nah! the cricket playground at Manasagangothri where this year's Maharaja Trophy, formerly known as the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), is limping along. It was a depressing sight.

Once again, our politicians have proved that they can deny us even the simplest joys of life like watching a cricket match. Worse, they may be turning Karnataka cricket into a corpse.

The Maharaja Trophy was just gaining traction and was expected to ride the wave of RCB's IPL victory, attracting fresh fans, sponsors and buzz. Instead, it has been chased out of its rightful home, the Chinnaswamy Stadium, along with its fans, leaving Karnataka cricket gasping for breath.

The reason? The tragic June 4 stampede. ...