Earlier this year, the BCCI made it mandatory for centrally contracted players to participate in domestic cricket whenever available regardless of their stature. Even superstars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli complied, each playing one match in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy before announcing their retirement from red-ball cricket four months later.
As the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy approached, questions surfaced about whether the senior duo would return to domestic action. On December 2, it was confirmed that Rohit will represent Mumbai while Kohli will turn out for Delhi. This led to speculation that the BCCI had compelled them to participate.
However, as per reports, neither player has been pressured. A senior BCCI source stated that both Rohit and Kohli have voluntarily agreed to play in order to stay match-ready ahead of upcoming international assignments.
With the Vijay Hazare Trophy beginning on December 24 and the India–New Zealand ODI series starting January 11, the two are expected to be available for most of the group-stage fixtures, though early reports suggest Kohli may feature in only three of Delhi’s seven league matches.
