The decision to participate in the event rests solely with senior hitters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who may also receive an exemption.
The first match of the Duleep Trophy will take place in Bengaluru instead of Anantapur, as the BCCI has decided. This is because several regular players from India, with the exception of pacer Jasprit Bumrah and senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, are expected to play in the first round. The decision to participate in the event rests solely with senior hitters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who may also receive an exemption. Two sets of first-round Duleep Trophy matches were originally due to begin on September 5 in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh; however, one of those matches has now been moved to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here in order to minimize any logistical issues.
Bengaluru and Anantapur are around 230 kilometers apart, and there is no air travel between the two cities.
A source close to the development told PTI, “The decision has been made to accommodate some of the top players, so that they get a feel of the red-ball cricket ahead of the (Test) series against Bangladesh.”
Two Test matches between India and Bangladesh are scheduled to begin on September 19 in Chennai and September 27 in Kanpur.
Although Rohit and Kohli have the option to participate, other well-known players like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav, and others are anticipated to be completely or partially available for this competition.
Bumrah and Ashwin, on the other hand, are unlikely to participate in the competition at all because they are anticipated to join the Indian team just prior to the Bangladesh series.
Additionally, the selectors are debating whether to give Rishabh Pant a chance in the Duleep Trophy. Should that happen, this will be his first red-ball assignment following his recovery from that terrible car accident in 2022.
Pant has been a member of India’s white-ball lineup since his return, and the wicketkeeper batsman represented his country in the T20 World Cup.
Mohammed Shami won’t be competing in the tournament since he has been recovering from surgery.However, the decision to move the game also reflects the team management’s and the BCCI’s common belief that the best players should participate in local cricket leagues whenever they are not on national duty.
Recall that on August 15, beginning on August 15, India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav (of Mumbai) and out-of-favor wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan (of Jharkhand) would be available to compete in the Buchi Babu Trophy.
