Vijay Hazare Trophy: When will Virat Kohli return for Delhi again before India vs New Zealand ODIs? All you need to know

Virat Kohli has had a huge impact on Delhi upon his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) recently. Playing the first two matches of the 2025-26 season, Delhi rode on Kohli's hundred and a half-century to beat Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, respectively, at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru.

Having already retired from Tests and T20Is, the Vijay Hazare Trophy outings came at a good time for Kohli. With more than a month's gap between the ODI series against South Africa (ending on 6 December) and New Zealand (starting on 11 January), the two 50-over encounters provided Kohli with much-needed game time.

Kohli's return to domestic cricket was also in compliance with the BCCI's directive, which mandates all centrally contracted players to participate in domestic cricket when not in national duty.

How did Virat Kohli perform in VHT after 15 years?

Playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after 15 years, Kohli's return for Delhi was majestic. Chasing Andhra Pradesh's 298/8, Kohli single-handedly steered Delhi in the chase with a brilliant 131 off 101 balls, studded with 14 fours and three sixes. It was Kohli's third hundred in his last four innings.

He continued his rich form against Gujarat too. Batting first, Delhi rode on Kohli's 77 and captain Rishabh Pant's 70 to post 254/9 in 50 overs. Gujarat were all out for 247 in reply. In both matches, Kohli was named the Player of the Match for his batting heroics.

Will Virat Kohli play in VHT 2025-26 again for Delhi?

According to a Cricbuzz report, Kohli will play one more game in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy before joining the India camp. Based on the report, Kohli will play for Delhi against Railways on 6 January at the KSCA ground in Alur, Karnataka. Delhi are currently on top of Group D with two wins.

India's ODI series against New Zealand starts on 11 January, with the whole squad assembling in Baroda on 7 January, the venue for the first game of the three-match series.

However, unlike Kohli, Rohit Sharma's domestic duties in this season are over, confirmed the Mumbai Cricket Association. Like Kohli, Rohit played the first two matches for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored a brilliant 155 against Sikkim before falling for a duck against Uttarakhand. He will be next seen in the ODI series against New Zealand.