Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant omitted? Delhi announce squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025/26
Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has announced their squad for the upcoming 2025/26 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) in the omission of star players- Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
Just after the end of the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa, it was announced that Virat Kohli would be part of a couple of games for Delhi in the 2025/26 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT). He was expected to be joined by the wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant, in the squad.
This happens given the BCCI’s rule of players turning up in the domestic game if they are not part of the national commitment. It will be a return to List-A cricket for Kohli after a long time, as he appeared for the side in the first-class game against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium at the start of the year.
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That turned out to be his final game with the red ball as he announced his retirement from the longest format during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Kohli, however, keeps an eye on being part of the upcoming ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia
No Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli in first two Delhi games in VHT 2025/26
However, neither Kohli nor Pant will be part of the first couple of clashes of the VHT 2025/26 and are expected to be part of it in the middle half of the competition when they play those games at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Delhi, meanwhile, will be led by Ayush Badoni and hopes to turn the tables after a very poor Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025/26.
Badoni will also get the experience of Nitish Rana in the middle order and the freshness of young Priyansh Arya at the opening spot of the team. Simarjeet Singh will be their top-class bowler of the side, with Hrithik Shokeen taking care of the spin department. Kohli and Pant, however, may return from the third clash.
Delhi’s squad for the first two VHT 2025/26 games
Ayush Badoni (c), Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Sarthak Ranjan, Priyansh Arya, Tejasvi Singh, Nitish Rana, Hrithik Shokeen, Harsh Tiyagi, Simarjeet Singh, Prince Yadav, Divji Mehra, Ayush Doseja, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rohan Rana, Anuj Rawat (wk.)
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