Following weeks of conjecture, Star Indian hitter Virat Kohli has formally verified that he would return to domestic action in the Vijay Hazare Trophy representing the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA). The confirmation came via DDCA President Rohan Jaitley on Tuesday evening.
The competition starts on December 24, 2025. Delhi’s first planned game is against the Andhra Pradesh cricket team. Kohli’s comeback to the 50-over domestic tournament is his first participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy since February 2010.
Prior to this, he had played 14 games total, scoring 819 runs at a remarkable average of 68.25 and a rapid strike rate of 106.08. His four centuries and three half-centuries are recorded.
Many thought Virat Kohli would skip the home event, but the comeback fits recent instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking centrally contracted players to join domestic contests when not on international duty.
Kohli, 37, has already retired from Test and T20 International cricket; therefore, he only concentrates on One-Day Internationals (ODIs). His recent form, especially a scorching 135 off 120 balls in Ranchi during India’s ODI series, showed that he is still in powerful condition.
Though he is available, the DDCA has recommended that he may not play in all of Delhi’s games throughout the tournament. Given the global responsibilities he has to consider, this could be a way to manage his workload properly.
Kohli’s return is not only going to be big for Delhi’s cricket, but for the entire domestic cricket scenario as well.
Even the Delhi crowd has become a witness to this when, earlier this year, his presence in a match of the lower tier attracted more than 12,000 spectators, giving no doubt about his star power that has always brought in more audiences.
