Virat Kohli to play for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy

In line with the BCCI’s stance that India’s players should participate in domestic cricket when available, star batter Virat Kohli will take part in Delhi’s Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign. The List A tournament is scheduled from December 24 to January 18. Delhi’s group stage matches will be held in Bengaluru.

“Kohli will be available to play for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He has confirmed his participation,” DDCA president Rohan Jaitley told The Hindu on Tuesday.

With India facing New Zealand in three ODIs from January 11 to 18, the 37-year-old is likely to play the first few games of the domestic competition.

On Sunday, Kohli slammed his 52nd ODI century in India’s 17-run win over South Africa in the first game in Ranchi. With the former captain now featuring solely in the 50-over format, the fact that he will have limited game time in the lead-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup has been a talking point.

After the win in Ranchi, Kohli, who now resides in London, said he has never been a big believer in a lot of preparation.

“As long as I feel mentally I can play the game, I work physically very hard every day of my life, it’s got nothing to do with cricket anymore, it’s just the way I live. So as long as my fitness levels are up and my enjoyment and mental sharpness is there, then you can visualise the game, and you see yourself running as hard, reacting fast on the ball, then you know it’s fine,” he stated at the post-match presentation.

In January this year, Kohli played for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 12 years.