Delhi have confirmed Rishabh Pant as captain for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, with Virat Kohli also included in the squad for the opening phase of the tournament. The 50-over competition begins on December 24, and Kohli has been named in the 20-man group selected for Delhi’s first two matches.
In a statement released by the Delhi & District Cricket Association, it was confirmed that experienced seamers Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini will be available for selection, while Harshit Rana is set to join the squad once released from India duty. Rana is currently part of India’s T20I squad for the series against South Africa, which concludes on Friday.
Delhi are placed in Group D and will play seven matches between December 24 and January 8. Availability beyond the opening fixtures remains uncertain for both Pant and Kohli, with India’s ODI series scheduled to begin on January 11 in Vadodara. Delhi’s campaign opens with back-to-back games against Andhra and Gujarat, both to be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Ayush Badoni has been appointed vice-captain, while Tejasvi Dahiya will serve as the second wicketkeeper behind Pant. Anuj Rawat has been named as a standby wicketkeeper should Pant be unavailable at any stage.
Delhi’s batting group features a mix of experience and youth, including Yash Dhull, Priyansh Arya, Arpit Rana, Nitish Rana, Sarthak Ranjan, Divij Mehra and Ayush Doseja. The bowling unit is bolstered by pace options Simarjeet Singh and Prince Yadav, alongside spinners Hrithik Shokeen, Harsh Tyagi and Vaibhav Kandpal. Allrounder Rohan Rana completes the squad.
With Pant leading the side and Kohli set to feature at least in the early matches, Delhi will be aiming to make a strong start to their Vijay Hazare campaign while managing the international commitments of their star players.
