BCCI Says Rohit and Kohli Decided Themselves to Play Vijay Hazare Trophy

Earlier this year, the BCCI made it compulsory for all centrally contracted players to take part in domestic cricket. Whenever they were free, they had to play for their state team, no matter how big a name they were. Even senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli followed the rule. Each played one solitary match in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.

After four months, they retired from red-ball cricket. With the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) approaching, there was doubt whether the senior pros would return to domestic cricket again. Late on December 2, it was confirmed that Rohit will play for Mumbai and Kohli for Delhi. Some people thought the BCCI was pushing them to play domestic cricket.

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Rohit Sharma Batter

Rohit Sharma, known as ‘Hitman’, is an Indian cricketer who plays for Mumbai and the Indian cricket team.

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Virat Kohli Batter

Virat Kohli is a professional cricketer and former captain of the Indian national team.

Rohit and Kohli Set to Play the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Their Own Terms

Earlier, reports said Rohit had already told the Mumbai Cricket Association that he wanted to play, while Kohli wasn’t very keen. The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association later said that Kohli is available, but many felt he didn’t have much choice. However, as per News18 CricketNext, neither Rohit nor Kohli has been forced by the BCCI. In fact, both players want to play to stay in good match rhythm.

“Nobody has forced them to return to the domestic circuit. Both Rohit and Kohli have made themselves available for the Vijay Hazare Trophy on their own accord,” a top BCCI official said.

Right now, it’s still uncertain how many matches they will actually play. The Vijay Hazare Trophy begins on December 24, and in theory, both Rohit and Kohli should be free for the whole group stage because India’s ODI series against New Zealand starts only on January 11. But according to reports, Kohli is expected to take part in only 3 of Delhi’s 7 league matches.

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IPL Star Mohit Sharma Announces Retirement from All Forms of Cricket Veteran India fast bowler Mohit Sharma has announced on social media that he is retiring from all forms of cricket.

by Shekhar December 3, 2025