Irani Cup Shifted to Lucknow; Mumbai Was To Host It

The Irani Cup is played between the Ranji Trophy winners and the Rest of India team. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Mumbai but has been shifted to Lucknow. Reports ETV Bharat's Nikhil Bapat

Hyderabad:The Irani Cup game, which was supposed to be hosted by Mumbai from October 1 to 5, has been shifted to Lucknow.

"The Irani Cup, which was supposed to be hosted by Mumbai, has been shifted to Lucknow," a top source from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) told ETV Bharat on Tuesday.

According to sources, the prolonged Monsoon is one of the reasons for the shift in the venue and there would have been no adequate time for the groundsmen to prepare the wicket for the prestigious tournament.

It will now be played at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is looking forward to hosting the game.

The Irani Cup is always played between the Ranji Trophy Champions and the Rest of India (ROI) Squad, which is picked by the national selectors.

This time 42-time Ranji Winners Mumbai will play the ROI. Mumbai led by Ajinkya Rahane had defeated Vidarbha to lift the Ranji Trophy after a pulsating final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

It is likely that all key Mumbai players including batter Shreyas Iyer will play in the Irani Cup and Mumbai will be more than keen to lay their hands on the Trophy.

The Irani Cup has been played since 1962. While the Rest of India has won it 30 times, Mumbai has won it 14 times.