Virat Kohli and other Test stars expected to play the Duleep Trophy this year

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is hoping for prominent Test players including skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan along with Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammad Shami to play this year’s Duleep Trophy.

Officially, BCCI is yet to prepare the final schedule of the tournament but sources said that the matches would be held after the West Indies Test tour gets over on August 22.

“Don’t be surprised if the likes of Kohli play the Duleep Trophy this year. With a lack of clarity on the mini-IPL, the top players are expected to play the Duleep Trophy. This is a good opportunity for the players to get an exposure with the pink ball before India hosts a pink-ball Test at home,” a top BCCI official said.

It is, however, not mandatory to participate and the cricketers can choose to take rest from the event if they wish to do so. But, BCCI thinks that the first domestic pink-ball event should have a full participation from the top cricketers to popularise the tournament.

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With BCCI using the fag end of the monsoon months for the Duleep Trophy, two venues from South Zone are under consideration. One is Hyderabad and the other is Visakhapatnam. The other two venues which were discussed are from Central Zone (Indore and Jaipur).

“BCCI hasn’t shortlisted any venue for the event. The tournament is likely to be held in South Zone only. If the board wants to keep a larger pool of venues, Central Zone could be added,” the official added.