Virat Kohli’s coming back to play for Delhi, and honestly. You can feel the buzz. The Delhi and District Cricket Association just made it official. Kohli will wear Delhi colors in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare trophy, starting December 24.

He’s 37 now, and these days he only plays ODIs for India. This will be a rare sight, Kohli in domestic cricket, for the first time since 2009-10, he called up DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, cleared the air, and put all the rumours to rest. He’s in.

Why does this matter so much? Well, Kohli’s isn’t just another big name filling a spot. He’s a game-changer for Delhi. The BCCI wants top players to show up for domestic games when they can, and Kohli’s return is exactly the kind of push Indian cricket needs at home.

Delhi kicks off its campaign against Andhra Pradesh on December 24. After that, they’ll play league matches in Alur and at Bangladesh’s M Chinnaswamy stadium, a ground where Kohli has lit up the IPL plenty of times.

And let’s be real. He’s still got it. Just recently, he hammered a brilliant 135 against South Africa, making it his 52nd ODI century. He keeps proving he’s one of the modern greats.

But there’s more to it than just runs. Earlier this year, Kohli played first-class cricket for Delhi after more than a decade. More than 12,000 fans turned up. For what would normally be a quiet domestic match. That’s the Kohli effect. He brings energy , crowds , and a sense of occasion not just for fans, but for his teammates, too. In a tournament that usually goes unnoticed, Kohli’s name puts it firmly in the spotlight and lifts the mood in the dressing room.

DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma summed it up best: even if Kohli doesn’t plan every single match, just having him there is huge.

And the timing, pretty perfect. India’s next ODI series is set for January 2026, so the VHT gives players like Kohli a chance to sharpen up in the 50-over format. Fans, selectors everyone will be watching to see if the domestic game can deliver the same kind of excitement as the international stage.

For Delhi, this is a big chance. For kohli’s maybe it’s a bit of a homecoming ,a reminder of why he started loving cricket in the first place.