The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to host the Duleep Trophy opening fixture at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from September 5.
Although Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh is the designated venue for the multi-day tournament, the season opener has been shifted to Bengaluru in anticipation of the participation of several Indian star cricketers - including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Sources in the BCCI and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) confirmed the development to Sportstar and also indicated that the remaining five four-day fixtures will be held in Anantapur as per schedule.
With the Indian team set to feature in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh, beginning September 19, the BCCI wants most of its regular players to feature in the season opener to get into the groove ahead of a packed international calendar.
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While the decision has been taken unanimously by the national selection committee and the coaching staff, it has been decided that ‘it’s up to Rohit and Kohli to decide whether they want to make themselves available for the Duleep Trophy given their workload’.
Even Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be part of the tournament as the team management wants him to be fit and ready for the season. However, other international players - Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal - are expected to feature in the first game of the tournament.
Eyeing a return to international cricket during the Test series against New Zealand in October, it needs to be seen whether Mohammed Shami makes himself available for the last couple of Duleep Trophy fixtures. Currently, he is undergoing rehabilitation after surgery at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru
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