DDCA officials have confirmed that Virat Kohli will be part of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The India star will turn out for Delhi in keeping with the BCCI mandate to have contracted players play domestic events wherever possible.
Return to Domestic Cricket Between International Commitments
The 37-year-old Virat Kohli now represents India only in ODI cricket. With a gap in the international schedule between the ongoing ODI series against South Africa and the upcoming one against New Zealand, Kohli is expected to make his domestic return when the Vijay Hazare Trophy begins on December 24 in Ahmedabad.
The presence of Kohli was confirmed by DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma, although he added that the number of matches depends upon his duties for India.
“He will certainly play a few games, but we cannot confirm participation for the entire tournament,” said Sharma.
Kohli in Prime Form Ahead of the Tournament
Kohli has begun the domestic season on a high. He just plundered his 52nd ODI hundred – a brilliant 135 against South Africa in Ranchi – for which he received the Player of the Match award. The century had seven towering sixes, which highlighted his dominant form.
After the final ODI of the South Africa series on December 6 in Visakhapatnam, Kohli will get enough time to prepare before joining Delhi’s campaign.
Delhi’s Schedule and Kohli’s Possible Availability
Delhi will play seven league matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, going on till January 8, just three days ahead of India’s ODI series against New Zealand in Vadodara. Five matches will be played in Alur, near Bengaluru.
Two games will be held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue quite familiar to Kohli because of his long association with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL. Whether Virat Kohli plays every game is still not guaranteed.
Read More
A Rare Domestic Appearance After More Than a Decade
This will be Kohli’s first domestic 50-over appearance for Delhi since September 2013, when he played in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. His last appearance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy goes even further back to the 2009-10 season, where he had also led the side.
Delhi’s Current Domestic Campaign Delhi have won two matches out of four in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s T20 domestic tournament, under the captaincy of Nitish Rana. The inclusion of Virat Kohli for the Vijay Hazare Trophy will potentially add much-needed experience and confidence to the team.
ALSO READ: Why KKR Released Andre Russell In IPL 2026 And Bring Him Back As Coach
