Why is Virat Kohli not playing for Delhi in Vijay Hazare Trophy Today? When will he play again?

Delhi and Odisha lock horns in a crucial Elite Group D clash of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, with both teams eyeing a top-two finish in the standings.

Delhi enter the contest on the back of a strong

group phase, boasting an impressive net run rate and a batting unit powered by experienced names like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Rana, backed by a seasoned pace attack featuring Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini.

Odisha, who have refreshed their squad with several new faces for this season, rely on a disciplined bowling group and in-form top order to challenge the heavyweight Delhi lineup. With Delhi historically edging this rivalry in Vijay Hazare encounters, Odisha will need a near-flawless performance to script an upset.

As Delhi aim their fourth win, Virat Kohli is not playing in this match as well. He played in the first two encounters and scored a hundred and fifty respectively.

Why is Virat Kohli not playing Today?

Delhi are up against Odisha at the KSCA Ground 3 in Alur, but Virat Kohli is not playing in this match. The India batter has gone back to Mumbai after playing the first two matches. Rishabh Pant continues to captain Delhi in this match, as Delhi won the last match as well despite Kohli's absence.

When will Virat Kohli play again for Delhi?

Though his schedule is tight, Kohli might suit up for one more Delhi clash against Railways on January 6, 2026-right before India's ODIs against New Zealand. He's currently away but expected back in Bengaluru for it. Fresh off twin tons versus South Africa, Kohli boasts six 50+ scores this season: four internationally, two domestically.

Delhi Squad vs Odisha: Priyansh Arya, Arpit Rana, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Rana, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Tejasvi Dahiya, Harsh Tyagi, Navdeep Saini, Prince Yadav, Simarjeet Singh, Ishant Sharma, Sarthak Ranjan, Virat Kohli, Vaibhav Kandpal, Hrithik Shokeen, Yash Dhull, Rohan Rana, Divij Mehra, Ayush Doseja