Bengaluru (Karnataka): The iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is set to host the Duleep Trophy opener beginning on September 5. According to the BCCI schedule, the Duleep Trophy was scheduled to begin in Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh but since the star players were asked to participate, the Board shifted the venue of the opener to Bengaluru.
Karnataka State Cricket Association President Raghuram Bhatt confirmed the development to ETV Bharat. "Yes, we (KCSA) are hosting the Duleep Trophy game," Bhatt said. It is learned that the Anantapur venue is around 220 kilometres from Bengaluru and there is no airport. It would have been difficult for players to commute to Ananthapur.
This time the Duleep Trophy will not be played in the 6-team zonal format and instead the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will pick different India squads (India A, B, C and D) for the tournament. The various India teams will be picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection panel.
Besides Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, top players Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Surya Kumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav have been asked to play in the Duleep Trophy. The selectors will assess the performance before picking the squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh. Pace ace Jasprit Bumrah has been given rest.