Virat Kohli has confirmed his participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) confirmed the news on Tuesday, December 2. Earlier reports had suggested that Kohli might skip the domestic 50-over tournament.
Those reports have now been ruled out. The former India captain will play the competition for the first time since 2010. His return ends weeks of speculation about his availability.
DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma officially confirmed the development. “Virat Kohli informed DDCA president Rohan Jaitley that he will play VHT,” DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told India Today.
Delhi will begin their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign against Andhra Pradesh on December 24. The match is expected to attract huge attention.
Kohli’s presence will bring more fans to a domestic one-day match than usual. Kohli last played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2010 against Services. He has not played a List A match for Delhi since the 2013 NKP Salve Challenger Trophy.
His return also follows the BCCI rule that makes domestic appearances compulsory for centrally contracted players who are not injured or on national duty.
Virat Kohli Brings Big Boost to Delhi Squad
Delhi will play their group-stage matches in Alur and at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Kohli is a fan favourite in Bengaluru due to his long association with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In IPL 2025, he was the top scorer for RCB.
He also helped the team win their maiden IPL title. Delhi are currently playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy under the leadership of Nitish Rana. They have won two of their four matches so far. Kohli’s addition to the one-day squad will provide both experience and star value.
It will also strengthen their title hopes. Kohli is presently part of the India squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa.
In the first ODI on Sunday, November 30, he scored his 52nd ODI century, becoming the cricketer with most number of centuries in a particular format. He surpassed Sachin Tendulkar who had previously scored 51 centuries in Test cricket.
His knock helped India take a 1-0 lead in the series. Rohit Sharma is also expected to play for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
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