The Indian stalwart Virat Kohli has finally confirmed his availability for the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. Earlier, there was no certainty; rather, later he himself denied his participation in the domestic tournament. After the BCCI selectors convinced him, Kohli finally agreed. Earlier, Kohli's contemporary, Rohit Sharma, had confirmed playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He even said that he will play the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy, which is a T20 format game, in case he is not playing an ODI match. In such a case, Virat Kohli's denial may make him look "different" to other players, which the BCCI selectors didn't like. Speaking to NDTV, a BCCI source debunked Kohli's urge to not just play the tournament. The source said, "The issue is with the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He (Kohli) simply doesn't want to play. When Rohit [Sharma] is also playing, how can there be an exception for one player? And what do we tell the other players? That someone is different from all of you?" DDCA confirmed Kohli's availability Currently Virat Kohli is playing only the ODI format, and in the last four innings he played, he raked up a half century and his career's 83rd international century. Currently he is in Raipur for the second ODI against South Africa. In the meantime, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley confirmed that Kohli is playing. Jaitely said to PTI, "He has confirmed his availability to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. How many games he will feature in is not clear yet. Obviously, his presence will be a massive boost to the Delhi dressing room." Last time Kohli played a domestic match was in 2024 that brought in 12000 people to watch a Ranji match, something that has not been happening in the domestic setup. Kohli last played a VHT match in 2010. And it is quite natural that he will attract fans where Delhi will play. Read also: Youngest Players to Score a Century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Delhi's schedule in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 Delhi will play all their matches in Alur and Bengaluru, both located in the same state. Being the home of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it is quite certain to attract a lot of fans. Date Opponent Venue December 24, 2025 Andhra Alur December 26 Gujarat Alur December 29 Saurashtra Alur December 31 Odisha Alur January 03, 2026 Services Bengaluru January 06 Railways Alur January 8 Haryana Bengaluru Notably, the ongoing South Africa series will end on December 3rd, with the final ODI being played at Vishakhapatnam. However, there are five T20 matches that follow. The next ODI series, against New Zealand will start on January 14. The VHT final is scheduled on January 18. In case Delhi reaches the quarterfinal, Kohli's participation there might be uncertain.