India's top players have been directed to participate in the competition.
Star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might appear in the opening match of India's upcoming domestic cricket season, featuring a Duleep Trophy game
According to a Cricbuzz report, Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium will be the venue for the first of six four-day red-ball matches, due to begin on September 5.
While Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh is the designated venue for the four-day tournament, this particular game has been relocated to Bengaluru on BCCI’s request.
"This decision comes at the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). We have agreed to host the match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium," a KSCA official quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
The venue change shows BCCI's keenness to include top international and domestic players in the Duleep Trophy opener, which will serve as a perfect platform to prepare for the home Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 18.
As per the report, top players barring Rohit, Kohli and ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah have been directed to participate in the competition. However, Rohit and Kohli have been given the option to take a call on their participation.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, a source claimed that Rohit and Kohli have been given exemption because they are overworked. "It's up to them whether or not to play," the source said.
On the other hand, the likes of KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are expected to take part in the domestic tournament, either partially or fully.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who isn’t contention for Test selection, is the only notable absentee among the top Indian cricketers.
However, selectors are likely to include wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who lost his central contract after disobeying BCCI's diktat of playing domestic cricket earlier this year.
The decision was reportedly made by the BCCI and selectors, with new coach Gautam Gambhir involved in the process. This move aligns with the BCCI's effort to address the issue of players skipping domestic matches.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)