Chinnaswamy Stadium to Host Opening Match of India's Domestic Cricket Season

The upcoming Indian domestic cricket season is set to start with a bang as the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) hosts the opening match at Bengaluru's renowned Chinnaswamy Stadium. Beginning on September 5, the first of six four-day red-ball matches will be featuring a highly-anticipated Duleep Trophy game. 

Despite the conventional venue for the multi-day tournament being in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, this specific game was relocated to Bengaluru by the accord of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). "We have agreed to host the match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium," confirmed a KSCA official. The venue alteration is in accordance with BCCI's resolution to engage top-tier international and domestic players in the four-team Duleep Trophy, leading up to the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh.

Expectations are high as numerous internationally renowned players are set to participate in the upcoming tournament. Notable players such as KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are set to feature, however eminent players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been given the choice to participate. 

Absences are also a part of the equation. Hardik Pandya has chosen to step back from red-ball cricket and Mohammed Shami is still undergoing rehabilitation post-surgery. In contrast, anticipations are high for Ishan Kishan to be included in the four squads.

The decision to merge international and domestic players in the tournament falls in line with BCCI's efforts to tackle the problem of players skipping domestic matches. The four-team Duleep Trophy is a multi-day first-class competition that functions in a league format, concluding on September 22.