Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath came out in support of their former team-mate Venkatesh Prasad, who will contest as president in the upcoming elections of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Prasad, who heads 'Team Game Changers', announced the candidates for different office bearer positions and other posts. Prasad's team includes former KSCA treasurer Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who will compete for the secretary post, former cricketer Sujith Somasunder for vice-president, B.N. Madhukar for treasurer and A.V. Shashidhar for joint secretary.

Prasad's team will be up against 'Team Brijesh', which is backed by former cricketer and administrator Brijesh Patel. K.N. Shanth Kumar, director of The Printers Mysore Ltd - publisher of Deccan Herald, will contest for the president's position from this group. Former KSCA treasurer Jairam E.S. will compete for the secretary's position while D. Vinod Sivappa (vice president), M.S. Vinay (treasurer) and former umpire B.K. Ravi (joint secretary) are the others eyeing office bearer positions from the group backed by Brijesh.

The KSCA elections will be held on November 30, with the candidates eligible to file nominations from November 12 to 16.

Prasad, who served as KSCA vice-president in the Kumble-led administration between 2010 and 2013, said the challenges facing the association now were far greater than when he last held office. "There are always challenges and now it's an even bigger challenge. The academies, the grounds, the stadiums - they are in dilapidated condition and we need to work on it. It's a huge effort."

He added that reviving the focus on cricket - and restoring the Chinnaswamy Stadium's reputation as an international venue - would be among the team's top priorities. "Cricket has suffered, and has taken a backseat completely. Women's cricket has been neglected. So we need to work on all these areas. It's not going to be easy, and you're not going to see results right away. But our focus is simple and straight to the point - reviving Chinnaswamy Stadium's glory by getting back international matches."

Somasunder, who until recently served as head of education at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, said he decided to join Prasad's team after observing how the game's administration in the state had drifted away from cricketing priorities. "I was completely immersed in the activities for the Centre of Excellence. But as cricketers, we always have one eye on what's happening - who's playing well, which youngster is coming through, how the system is functioning. It became very evident that cricket was not being run by people who understood the game," he said.

He added that for someone who has spent years educating coaches on being "player-centric", the time had come to walk the talk. "When we have the opportunity to give back, I can't keep complaining forever. I have to put my hand up and sacrifice whatever I'm enjoying for a bigger cause. I always told coaches to have others' orientation rather than self-orientation. If I don't execute that myself when the opportunity arises, then what's the point?"