India-Australia bilateral series' 5th T20I set to be shifted from Hyderabad to Bengaluru - Reports 

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is likely to be the new host of the India-Australia bilateral T20I series finale on December 3. According to the tour itinerary, the match was slated to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.

A report from Sportstar claims that the police force in Hyderabad will not be able to tackle providing security to the teams as well as keep a watch on the rest of the proceedings in the city amid elections.

The Telengana assembly elections has been scheduled to take place on November 30, while the votes will be counted on December 3, which co-incides with the date of the fixture. A senior Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) official told Sportstar:

“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."

The official continued:

“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 venue were looking forward to hosting the match between the two heavyweight sides, especially after missing out on a World Cup match involving India. The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium played host to a handful of warm-up matches as well as couple of league stage matches at the start of the tournament. The official 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."

India and Australia had played a T20I fixture in Hyderabad last year during a three-match series ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The rain-marred contest saw India secure a win and level the series, taking it to the finale.

India-Australia T20I series scheduled to begin from November 23

The upcoming five-match T20I series marks as the first assignment for both the series in the aftermath of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Both teams will view it as an opportunity to lay the foundation for their 2024 T20 World Cup preparation.

Australia have already announced their squad for the series, with senior wicket-keeper Matthew Wade set to lead the team. On the other hand, the Men in Blue are expected to name a second string squad, which will reportedly feature the likes of Riyan Parag and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The series will kickstart with the first T20I in Vishakapatnam on November 23, while the remainder of the matches is slated to be hosted by Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and Nagpur.