Virat Kohli returns to Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years as Delhi take on Andhra in Bengaluru
Team India superstar Virat Kohli made his comeback in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years as Delhi locked horns with Andhra at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli returned to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years as Delhi locked horns with Andhra in their opening game of the 2025-26 season at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Kohli was named in the playing XI for Delhi, which is being led by his India teammate Rishabh Pant.
Ayush Badoni is Delhi's designated captain for the season, however, Pant is expected to lead the team till he is available. While Kohli is expected to play only a couple of matches for Delhi in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, Pant might continue for longer if he is not selected in India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.
Delhi won the toss and opted to bowl first in the game. Kohli is expected to bat at no.3, with Priyansh Arya and Arpit Rana opening for Delhi against Andhra. Delhi have a strong batting line-up featuring the likes of Kohli, Arya, Pant, Nitish Rana and Ayush Badoni. Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma is spearheading their pace attack consisting of Simarjeet Singh, Navdeep Saini and Prince Yadav.
When did Virat Kohli last feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy?.
Kohli's last appearance for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy came against Services in February 2010. He made a brisk 8-ball 16 in the game as Delhi went on to post 311 runs on the board and won the match by 113 runs. Kohli became an India regular and went on to become an India regular after 2010 and never got a chance to feature in India's premier domestic 50-over tournament.
Kohli enjoyed his best season in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2008-09, when he smashed an impressive 534 runs in 7 matches at an average of 117 and a strike rate of 87.31, including three centuries. Kohli is heading into the ongoing season on the back of a magnificent run for India in ODIs and will be hoping to continue his fine form in VHT 2025-26.
Rohit Sharma returns to Vijay Hazare Trophy after six years
Meanwhile, former India captain Rohit Sharma has returned to the domestic one-day tournament after six years. Rohit took the field for Mumbai as they locked horns with Sikkim in their opening game of the ongoing season at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday.
The Hitman's last appearance for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy came in October 2018. He played for Mumbai in the semi-final of the season against Hyderabad and scored 17 runs in the game in Bengaluru. Rohit missed the final due to national duty as Mumbai lifted the title.
Like Kohli, Rohit is also expected to play at least a couple of matches for Mumbai in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. Both senior batters are turning up for their respective state teams after BCCI made it mandatory for the players to prioritise domestic cricket when not on national duty.