Virat Kohli is set to make a return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2025/26 season, marking his comeback to India’s premier domestic 50 over competition after nearly 15 years. The former India captain, who has already stepped away from T20 internationals and Test cricket, will use the tournament as part of his preparation for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. Kohli has been named in Delhi’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is expected to feature in two matches. He will play under the captaincy of Rishabh PantHis participation also aligns with the BCCI’s directive encouraging centrally contracted players to take part in domestic tournaments during available windows,
The last time Kohli played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was back in 2010. Across his previous stints for Delhi in the competition, he has played 17 matches and batted in 16 innings. During that period, he scored 910 runs, including a highest score of 124, at an impressive average of 60.66. His tally includes four half centuries and four hundreds, underlining his strong record in the domestic one day format. Kohli also stands on the verge of another significant milestone. He is just one run short of becoming only the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 16,000 runs in List A cricket. So far, he has scored 15,999 runs from 342 List A matches at an average of 57.34, with 57 centuries and 84 fifties to his name. The Vijay Hazare Trophy will serve as valuable match practice ahead of the New Zealand series, which begins on January 11. He comes into the tournament in strong form, having registered four fifty plus scores in his last four ODI appearances, including two back to back centuries against South Africa in the first two ODIs and an unbeaten 65 in the third ODI, which helped India win the series 2-1.
