Duleep Trophy Set to Return Amid Absence of Indian Cricket’s Biggest Stars
Amid the anticipation of the upcoming international cricket season, the Indian cricketing landscape is set to witness the return of the Duleep Trophy, a prestigious domestic tournament. However, some of the team’s senior players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R. Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah, are likely to miss the opening fixtures of the competition, scheduled to commence on September 5.
The selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, will finalize the teams for the four-team tournament later this month. While these key players will be absent, most other centrally-contracted Indian cricketers are expected to feature in the Duleep Trophy matches.
There is also a possibility that Mohammed Shami, who is nearing full fitness, may be asked to participate in one of the games to prove his match readiness. Shami has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and has gradually increased his bowling workload over the past week.
“The decision to rest the senior players is in line with the BCCI’s strategy to provide them with an extended break before the upcoming international assignments.”
India is set to play 10 Test matches over the next five months, with the first two-match series against Bangladesh starting on September 19 in Chennai.
To accommodate the Duleep Trophy fixtures, one of the two simultaneous games may be shifted from Anantapur to Bengaluru due to logistical considerations. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has been informally approached to host the match.
The BCCI’s emphasis on prioritizing domestic cricket has been a key focus, as evidenced by the recent letters sent by secretary Jay Shah, which resulted in the loss of central contracts for players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan due to their absence from Ranji Trophy matches before the IPL.
The revamped format of the Duleep Trophy, following the recommendations of a BCCI working group comprising former coach Rahul Dravid, NCA chief VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar, and BCCI general manager Abey Kuruvilla, aims to provide a wider pool of players with opportunities ahead of India’s Test season.
The Duleep Trophy tournament is scheduled to run until September 22, with each of the four teams playing the other three in a round-robin format. The team topping the standings at the end will be declared the winner.
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