Hailed as one of the greatest ODI batters, Virat Kohli has confirmed his participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26.
Rohan Jaitley, the president of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), gave an official confirmation on Kohli’s availability. This marks the return of the Indian batting stalwart to 50-over domestic cricket after 15 years.
Delhi, placed in Group D, will compete against Gujarat, Odisha, Railways, Haryana, Andhra, Services, and Saurashtra. Having a star batter like Virat in the squad promises to enhance the success rate of Delhi to progress into the subsequent rounds of the tournament.
‘Confirmed to Play in Vijay Hazare’: DDCA President
As the Vijay Hazare Trophy is all set to take place between December 24 and January 18, Virat Kohli is confirmed to play only a few matches of the tournament, given his busy ODI schedule:
“Yes! He (referring to Kohli) has now confirmed his participation in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. But it is not clear how many matches he would play. His presence would certainly be a huge boost to Delhi’s dressing room,” the DDCA president said.
Virat Kohli’s Previous Appearance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
Virat Kohli played his very last match in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi back on 18th February 2010, ahead of the multi-format series against South Africa at home, where Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden ODI double ton.
Having played his previous game against Services, the Delhi captain scored 16 runs off 8 balls (including 3 fours). But a combined team effort under Kohli’s captaincy in that game helped Delhi to achieve a 113-run win against the Services.
The right-handed batter played his first-ever ODI World Cup in the subsequent year (in 2011) under MS Dhoni’s captaincy and eventually went on to become a star cricketer of the Indian cricket team.
So far, Kohli has played 14 matches in VHT and compiled 819 runs at an average of 68.25 and a strike rate above 100, including 4 tons and 3 fifties.
A Huge Crowd Expected for Delhi’s Matches in VHT 2025-26
Earlier this year, in January, a massive crowd gathered at the stadium to watch Virat Kohli play his first Ranji Trophy game after 12 years. Although the veteran batter made use of the first-class tournament to enhance his preparation for international cricket, he retired from test cricket ahead of the England tour in June.
As the tickets of the Vijay Hazare Trophy’s matches are available at a reasonable price ranging between Rs 100 and 500, the middle and upper-class viewers can catch the live action of Kohli from the stadium. However, the estimated price fluctuates according to different venues, match rounds, and seating categories.
Why is Kohli playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy After Several Years?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has mandated players to make themselves available for domestic cricket tournaments to be eligible to play for Team India at the international level.
After retiring from test cricket, the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar has clearly instructed that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should play the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be part of India’s squad for the ODI World Cup 2027.
As the Indian cricket board is heavily influenced by Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir, the players have no choice but to participate for their state team when they aren’t on national duty.
So, under this policy, Ro-Ko and other international cricketers have been playing domestic cricket unless they are on national duty or injured.
Kohli Forced to Play the Vijay Hazare Trophy: BCCI Gives Clear Answer
BCCI clarified that neither Virat Kohli nor Rohit Sharma was forced to play domestic cricket. The Indian cricket board’s official said that the duo of star batters wanted to keep themselves fit to stay competitive at the international level:
“No! It is a fact that no one has forced Rohit and Kohli to return to domestic cricket. Both the batters have now made themselves available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy of their own will,” the BCCI official explained.
Overall Verdict: Kohli Keen to Play ODI World Cup 2027
With the ODI World Cup 2027 on the horizon, Virat Kohli aims to sharpen his batting skills by participating in domestic tournaments like the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His comeback into the tournament after 15 years makes the event more special than ever before.
The King of cricket has already sent a message to the BCCI by scoring back-to-back centuries in the ongoing 3-match ODI series against South Africa.
With Rohit and Kohli remaining active only in the ODI format, participating in VHT helps them to maintain fitness and ensure the proper continuity in the sport.
However, it is still not clear if Virat can play Delhi’s all seven matches of the league stages scheduled between December 24, 2025, and January 08, 2026. So, there would hardly be any time left for India’s ace batter to prepare for the ODI series against New Zealand starting on January 11, 2026, in Vadodara.
Finally, it remains to be seen if Kohli can play at least 3 out of 7 league stage matches for Delhi in the forthcoming edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.