The 2025-26 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is set to begin on December 24 and promises to be one of the most high-profile domestic one-day seasons in recent memory.
With Indian icons Virat Kohli and
Rohit Sharma confirming their participation, the tournament has gained unprecedented attention, offering fans a rare chance to watch established superstars compete alongside emerging talent in India's premier List A competition.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's flagship 50-over domestic tournament, will feature a total of 38 teams this season. These teams are divided into two categories - the Elite and the Plate - ensuring competitive balance while maintaining a pathway for promotion and relegation.
Format and Teams
The Elite category comprises 32 teams split into four groups of eight. Each team will play a round-robin league within its group, with the top two sides from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. The knockout stage will then progress through semi-finals and culminate in the final.
The Plate category includes six teams competing in a single group. Performance here is crucial, as promotion to the Elite division - and relegation from it - will apply for the next season.
Elite Group Breakdown
Group A: Kerala, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Tripura
Group B: Vidarbha, Hyderabad, Bengal, Baroda, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir
Group C: Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mumbai, Uttarakhand, Sikkim
Group D: Railways, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Saurashtra, Delhi, Services, Odisha
Defending champions Karnataka will begin their title defence after winning their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy crown last season, when they defeated Vidarbha by 36 runs in the final.
Venues and Match Timings
Matches will be hosted across five centres - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Alur, Jaipur and Rajkot. All games are scheduled to start at 9:00 am IST, maintaining consistency across venues.
Star Players to Watch
The 2025-26 season boasts an enviable list of participants. Virat Kohli will be representing Delhi in Elite Group D. Rohit Sharma has confirmed his availability for Mumbai's first two fixtures against Sikkim and Uttarakhand in Jaipur on December 24 and 26.
Other prominent names include Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. Pant will be keen to reassert his white-ball credentials after a long absence from limited-overs internationals, while Gill, overlooked for recent T20 assignments, will aim to make a strong statement for Punjab ahead of future ODI responsibilities.
With elite experience, youthful promise and national selection implications all converging, the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 is shaping up to be far more than a routine domestic tournament - it is a crucial stage in India's white-ball ecosystem.
