Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup to begin from September 2

Eighteen teams are expected to take part in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup this year, scheduled between September 2 and 20 in Hyderabad.

As of now 17 teams have confirmed their participation in the tournament including three Hyderabad-based teams, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Bengal and a side from USA coached by former Hyderabad and India medium-pace bowler Syed Abid Ali.

Bengal have already announced their squad for the Cup which excludes the six players who recently joined the Indian Cricket League. Shivlal Yadav, the secretary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, reportedly said in The Hindu, that since the tournament was an official one, recognised by the Indian board, no ICL player would be allowed to play in it.

Six venues have been marked out for the tournament, played on a three-day format, with the final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Continuing bad weather in the city prompted the organisers to have a reserve day for each match and also keep the Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board Ground as a stand-by venue.

A National Cricket Academy Level II coaching course will be conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium during the tournament by Lalchand Rajput, who was selected to coach the Indian side for the Twenty20 World Championship.

Confirmed teams: Hyderabad XI, Hyderabad President's XI, Hyderabad Cricket Association Combined Districts XI, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, BSNL, Railways, Indian Oil Corporation, Kerala, Saurashtra, Vidarbha, Cricket Association of Bengal, Assam, USA, Tripura and Tamil Nadu