The Prime Minister's XI is set for another major overhaul this year, stripping the game of its first-class status but the tweak to the format making it a crucial stop for India's biggest stars.
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The Canberra Times can reveal officials are close to finalising details for the match, which is expected to be played around November 30 between the first and second Tests of a historic tour.
Cricket Australia's decision to schedule Australia A v India A matches in the build up to the first Test scuppered plans for the PM's XI to be a Test-match shootout for both countries.
It has instead been moved back in the summer, placed between Tests in Perth and Adelaide and reverting to a pink-ball, day-night format for India's first PM's XI appearance in 20 years.
The strange part is that Cricket Australia has abandoned its four-day experiment with the PM's XI after two years to instead change to a two-day match for the first time in history.
Officials are confident the unusual format - which makes the game more of a practice match than a meaningful contest - will still draw a decent crowd given India's pulling power with fans.
The PM's XI has traditionally been played as a one-day game since the 1950s, but Cricket Australia has been experimenting in recent years in an attempt to make the game relevant again.
That paid dividends when there was a genuine Test audition between candidates to replace David Warner last year, with Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Cameron Green battling for runs.
It was billed as a selection shootout and, even though selectors eventually opted for Steve Smith as Warner's replacement, it gave the game national significance.
![Matt Renshaw, left, played in the Prime Minister's XI last year. Virat Kohli and Ravi Ashwin will be coming this year. Main picture by Elesa Kurtz Matt Renshaw, left, played in the Prime Minister's XI last year. Virat Kohli and Ravi Ashwin will be coming this year. Main picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/16ab8acf-b840-4ecf-a767-d6d828efeeca.png/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
That's unlikely to occur this time given Australia A will play India in two first-class matches in November before the Test series begins on November 22.
India has opted to play an intra-squad match on the bouncy pitches in Perth in the lead up to that game instead of at Manuka Oval, which is known more as a batter-friendly surface.
That leaves the gap between the end of the first Test on November 26 and the start of the second Test on December 6 as the only timeslot available for the summer.
India will use it as a warm-up for the day-night Test in Adelaide, with the lights at Manuka turning on for the preparations.
It's unusual for top-line stars to play tour matches between Tests. But given the pink-ball throws up a swinging ball under lights, the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma may opt to play at Manuka.
It's also unlikely Australian selectors will be searching for new players after the opening Test and the fact Australia A is playing earlier in the summer means Sheffield Shield players may be used sparingly.
Both Australia A v India A matches will carry first-class status.
"To have that running simultaneously with the women's ODIs and preceded by two significant Australia A v India A matches will be terrific for our fans," said Cricket Australia head of operations Peter Roach.
"Hosting those matches at the upgraded Great Barrier Reef Arena and the MCG give these 'A' matches significant status and will provide great opportunities to players from both sides to put up their hand for selection."
The finer details of the PM's XI are still being ironed out with an announcement about the selection intentions and format expected in the coming months.
The PM's XI match is the only men's elite game scheduled in Canberra for the summer after the capital was squeezed out of the priority international matches. The Australian men's team is bypassing Canberra for the first time in almost a decade.
The PM's XI game has in recent years been overshadowed by international fixtures, but its standalone status will be a throwback to the days when the cricket community would turn up in their thousands.
It's unclear if the Sydney Thunder will play Big Bash games at Manuka Oval again next season. The franchise's deal with the ACT government expired earlier this year, but it's understood there were options built in for return games for the 2024-25 summer.
The Australian women's team will play an Ashes Twenty20 match in Canberra, with tickets to go on sale on June 14.