Virat Kohli is set to make a return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2025/26 season, marking his return to India’s first competitive domestic 50 after almost 15 years. The former Indian captain, who has already moved 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 pants. His participation is also in line with the BCCI directive encouraging centrally contracted players to participate in domestic tournaments during available windows.
The last time Kohli featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was in 2010. In his previous stints for Delhi in the competition, he played 17 matches and batted in 16 innings. During this period, he scored 910 runs, including a highest score of 124, with an impressive average of 60.66. His tally includes four half-centuries and four hundreds, highlighting his strong record in the domestic one-day format. Kohli is also set to achieve another milestone. He has just one race left to become the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 16,000 runs in List A cricket. So far, he has scored 15,999 runs in 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 fine form, having registered four fifty-plus scores in his last four ODI appearances, including two consecutive 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.
