Virat Kohli will play his first Vijay Hazare Trophy game in 15 years when he takes the the field at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence on Wednesday. The 37-year-old will play under Rishabh Pant in the first two games of the 2025/26 as he aims to get some game time under his belt before the IND vs NZ series.
Craze for Kohli's return to domestic cricket has already seen Delhi's game relocated thrice. Virat's return to Ranji Trophy saw a full house crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi earlier this year. However, with security concerns, the match will be played behind closed doors.
Virat Kohli has played just 13 matches for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Notably, his most recent appearance in the tournament dates back 15 years, when he led Delhi against Services on February 18, 2010, at the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon.
In that game, Virat captained the side and batted at No.5, a change from his later usual No.3. Batting first Delhi had amassed a whopping 311, with Kohli contributing 16 off just 8 balls. Mithun Manhas, who is the current BCCI president, batted at no.3 in that game, scoring 148. Delhi opened with Shikhar Dhawan, who was yet to make his India debut at that time.
