Duleep Trophy semi-finals and final to be held in Kochi

The semifinals and final of Duleep Trophy cricket tournament will be held here next month, Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) officials said on Friday.

"It's expected that hosting of Duleep Trophy matches will accelerate the decision for making Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium a Test venue too," KCA President T C Mathew told reporters.

Duleep Trophy matches will start in Chennai on October 3. The semi-finals will be held from October 10 to 13 and the final from October 17 to 21.

This is for the first time Kerala is hosting Duleep Trophy final. Players like Rohan Prem, Sandeep Warrier and C P Shahid from Kerala have already been selected to represent the South Zone team.