Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley has confirmed that Virat Kohli will play in the upcoming 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) season. Jaitley’s statement comes after reports suggested that Kohli had refused to participate in India’s main List-A competition. However, he did not mention how many matches or which games Kohli will play.

The 37-year-old is currently in Raipur, playing for India in the three-ODI series against South Africa. The VHT 2025-26 season will start on December 24. All of Delhi’s group stage matches will be played in Alur or Bengaluru.

“He has confirmed that he will play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. How many games he will play is not clear yet. Obviously, his presence will be a big boost for the Delhi dressing room,” Jaitley told news agency PTI.

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VIRAT KOHLI WILL PLAY 4 MATCHES IN THIS VIJAY HAZARE TROPHY

The Number of Matches Virat Kohli will play has now been shifted to Chinnaswamy stadium. (Vipul Kashyap/ANI).

#ViratKohli #VijayHazareTrophy pic.twitter.com/P9CpO5nqu8

— The Bharat Post (@TheBharatPost_) December 3, 2025

Kohli Set for Vijay Hazare Trophy Comeback After 15 Years

Virat Kohli last played in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February 2010. He then played in the home World Cup the following year, which secured his place in the Indian team. He later became captain and one of the all-time greats.

Due to his workload, responsibilities, and all-format commitments, Kohli rarely played domestic cricket. He made a brief return to the Ranji Trophy last year, playing for Delhi against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

This return happened after the BCCI asked all contracted players to play domestic competitions whenever they had free time from international matches. Kohli retired from Test cricket soon after and had already ended his T20I career earlier in 2024, leaving ODIs as his only active international format.

Kohli appears to be preparing for the 2027 World Cup in Africa. The BCCI reportedly asked him and Rohit Sharma to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to stay match-fit.

Kohli also sent a message with his match-winning century in the first ODI against South Africa. He added that he has never been too focused on over-preparation, making his comeback to domestic cricket after 15 years even more special.