Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium will host the final of the Duleep Trophy from September 6 to 10. The BCCI has decided to move the summit clash from Bengaluru to allow fans a chance to watch the country’s top players in action. While the initial plan was to hold the entire tournament at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the Garden City, only the quarterfinal and semifinals will now be held on campus.\

Last year, the Duleep Trophy was held fully behind closed doors at the CoE, much to the disappointment of the fans. Earlier this month, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia had explained that there were restrictions on allowing fans at the CoE but had promised to consider hosting the final alone in a proper stadium.

“There are some government restrictions on how we use this land, and because of that, we cannot have crowds in this campus,” Saikia had explained.

Though Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was also under consideration, the board has decided to shift it to the MAC Stadium.

The two quarterfinals will be played from August 23 to 26, with East Zone taking on North-East while North and West face off in the other encounter. The winners will take on last year’s winner Central Zone and runner-up South Zone respectively in the semifinals to be held from August 30 to September 2.

“The Duleep Trophy is an important first-class tournament in our calendar and carries a rich legacy. The quality of cricket is always high, and we want fans to have the opportunity to watch the final live at the stadium. There are certain restrictions regarding crowd attendance at the CoE, and we felt it was appropriate to move the final to a venue where fans can attend and be part of the occasion. We have also increased coverage of the tournament and all matches of the Duleep Trophy will be streamed live, and there will also be TV coverage of one quarter-final, one semi-final and the final,” said Saikia.