India vs Australia 5th T20I Shifted From Hyderabad Due To Elections - Reports

The fifth and final match of the upcoming T20I series between the India National Cricket Team and the Australia National Cricket Team has reportedly been moved out of Hyderabad due to elections.

The Aussies are set to take on hosts India in a five-match T20I series just after the conclusion of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The matches are set to be played on November 23, 26, 28, December 1, and 3. The venues for the matches were announced as Visakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Nagpur, and Hyderabad.

According to Sportstar, the BCCI has made a venue change for the fifth T20I match between the teams. Instead of Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will be hosting the game due to the upcoming elections.

Notably, the Telangana assembly elections are set to be held on November 30, and the counting of votes is set to be done on December 3, which is the same day IND vs AUS 5th T20I will be played.

A senior Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) official said that they didn’t get permission from the police department to host the IND vs AUS match.

“The police department didn’t give us the requisite permission to host the match as on that day the counting will happen. It’s really unfortunate, but we can’t do much,” a senior Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) official said, as quoted by Sportstar.

Bengaluru To Host India vs Australia 5th T20I Instead Of Hyderabad

A source revealed that the HCA requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a change in schedule, but the board denied it.

“We had multiple meetings with the BCCI and requested them for a change in schedule. We could have hosted on December 4, but the board said that the tickets to Australia are already booked and they cannot reschedule the game.

“Australia will be taking a morning flight to New Delhi on December 4 and will then head to their country” the source added.

“From the dressing room to seating arrangements, we did everything, and we were expecting a good turnout as we didn’t get an India game to host in this World Cup. The pending work has been finished. This development is definitely a setback,” he said.

Australia have already named their squad for the India series with the veteran wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade being named as the skipper.

Several key players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, and Mitchell Marsh have been rested while star players David Warner, Steve Smith, and Travis Head have been included.

Australia’s T20I squad: Matthew Wade (capt), David Warner, Travis Head, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha