'Nobody has forced them' – BCCI on Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli playing Vijay Hazare Trophy

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last played domestic cricket in January, Ranji Trophy.

Earlier in the year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made participation in domestic cricket mandatory for centrally contracted players. When available, irrespective of who the player was, they had to represent their state. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also toed the line.

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.

BCCI not forcing Rohit-Kohli to play VHT

Late on December 2, it was confirmed that both Rohit and Kohli will play for Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. However, some believed that the BCCI was forcing them to play domestic cricket. Earlier reports suggested that Rohit had informed the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) about his desire to play, but Kohli wasn’t interested.

Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) confirmed that Kohli has confirmed his availability, but his hand was forced. According to News18 CricketNext, no. Neither Rohit nor Kohli has been forced to play domestic cricket by the BCCI. If anything, they want to play to keep themselves match-fit.

“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.

At the moment, it’s unclear how many matches they’ll play. The VHT commences on December 24, and realistically, Rohit-Kohli will be available for the entire group stage since the India vs New Zealand ODI series commences on January 11. However, reports suggest that Kohli will play just 3 of Delhi’s 7 league-stage matches.