EXPLAINED: Why Virat Kohli is not playing for Delhi in today’s Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 clash against Railways

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Delhi are currently facing Railways in their second last Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26 Elite Group D fixture at the KSCA Ground in Alur. Led by Rishabh Pant, Delhi lost the toss and were asked to bowl first by Railways. However, the major talking point of the morning has been the absence of Virat Kohli, who was widely expected to feature in this crucial second last group-stage encounter.

Despite earlier confirmations from DDCA President Rohan Jaitley that Kohli would play three games, Delhi coach Saran deep Singh confirmed just before the match that the star batter is unavailable, effectively ending his domestic stint for the season.

“Virat is not available. Pant and Harshit will be playing tomorrow,” Delhi’s head coach was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.

The primary reason for Kohli’s absence is that he has already satisfied the BCCI’s mandatory participation rule. Under the board’s 2025-26 guidelines, centrally contracted players were required to appear in at least two domestic matches to remain eligible for the national squad. Kohli delivered emphatically in his two appearances, smashing a masterful 131 against Andhra Pradesh and a quick-fire 77 against Gujarat. Having proven both his match fitness and his red-hot form, crossing the 16,000 List A runs milestone in the process, the team management decided that his quota was complete. With the New Zealand series looming, the priority has shifted from domestic match-time to ensuring he is fresh for international duties.

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Kohli’s withdrawal from the Railways game is a calculated move to manage his workload ahead of the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting January 11 in Vadodara. Both Kohli and Pant are scheduled to travel to Baroda tomorrow, January 7, to link up with the Indian squad. While Pant is leading Delhi today as a final tune-up, Kohli has opted for a brief recovery period before entering the high-intensity international bubble. After a stellar 2025 where he dominated the South Africa series where he smashed two majestic hundreds and a fifty that earned him a Player of the Series award, Kohli is treating the upcoming home season as a critical stepping stone toward the ODI World Cup 2027, making peak physical condition his top priority over a third domestic appearance.

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