New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS): Ahead of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, BCCI has directed the top national team players, including KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, to take part in Duleep Trophy, either partially or fully.

According to the Cricbuzz report, India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been given the option to choose whether or not to participate.

Hardik Pandya is expected to be the only notable absentee among the top international players, as he has stepped away from red-ball cricket. However, despite being consistently overlooked for international assignments, selectors are likely to include Ishan Kishan in one of the four squads. Jasprit Bumrah will be exempted from domestic duties, and Mohammed Shami, who is still recovering from surgery, is also unlikely to participate in the competition, the report said.

This decision was made collectively by the BCCI and selectors, with input from new coach Gautam Gambhir. An exemption for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli was explained by a source, who noted that the two star players are overworked. "It's up to them whether or not to play," the report quoted a source as saying.

Rohit last appeared in a domestic match in 2021, while Kohli has not featured in a national-level game since 2015.

The inclusion of international players in domestic competitions aligns with the BCCI's efforts to address the issue of players skipping domestic matches. Last year, the board notably excluded Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the central contract list as part of this policy.

The four-team Duleep Trophy, a multi-day first-class competition, will be held in a league format with no knockout games, concluding on September 22.

The Karnataka State Cricket Association has confirmed that the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host the first of six four-day red-ball matches, starting on September 5. Although Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh is the designated venue for the multi-day tournament, this particular game has been relocated to Bengaluru.