Virat Kohli’s been on fire in 50-over cricket lately. Chances are, he’s about to play his last game for Delhi in this season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy.
According to Cricbuzz, the 37-year-old will face Railways on January 6 at the KSCA ground in Alur. Delhi’s sitting pretty at the top of Group D; they’ve won two out of two.
Virat Kohli in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
Since that last ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Kohli’s pretty much looked unstoppable. He piled on a couple of centuries against South Africa, then finished with a not-out fifty in the last match.
When he came back to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after over ten years away, he hammered 131 off just 101 balls against Andhra. Next match, he cracked a quick 77 against Gujarat. Both times, he walked away with Player of the Match.
Kohli played those VHT games at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He’s following the BCCI’s rule that centrally contracted players have to turn up for domestic cricket when they’re not with the national team.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025 26 season is now underway, and the fans are more excited than ever.
This is primarily because, after a long time, two Indian cricketing superstars, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, have returned to domestic limited-overs cricket.
VHT: Why is Virat Kohli playing with his helmet taped?
Each time Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma or any other Indian player goes to the bat in international cricket, the helmet or cap they use bears the BCCI logo. Non-international teams that however compete in domestic tournaments like Ranji Trophy or Vijay Hazare Trophy are however denied the right to use the BCCI logo.
Each domestic team possesses its official logo, be it Mumbai, Delhi or Services. Consequently, the BCCI logo cannot be used in the local cricket matches, and any player who may have used it may be deduced the match fee.
Sharing details about the rule, a BCCI official told PTI in December 2014, “The clear instruction given to the match referees is to tell team officials that the players are not permitted to use India jerseys, caps or helmets. If the players inadvertently wear India stuff, there should be taping on the helmet crest or caps. That’s the reason match referee Sanjay Raul intimated both Delhi and Saurashtra managers about BCCI diktat.”
This is one of the reasons why international players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play domestic matches in short terms but put psychicolored tapes over the BCCI insignia on the helmets to conceal it. They are also not permitted to wear the BCCI logo when they are representing their state teams. Lack of adherence to this rule will attract disciplinary measures.
This is why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were observed playing with a taped helmet in Vijay Hazare Trophy- they had to cover the BCCI upside down when playing local cricket.
What’s next for Virat Kohli?
Soon, Kohli will join India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. He’ll want to keep this run going when he puts on the India jersey again. The first game’s on January 11.
And honestly, everyone knows what’s driving him now—after stepping away from T20Is and Tests, he’s got one big target left: playing for India at the 2027 ODI World Cup.
