Vijay Hazare Trophy: Rohit Sharma Set For Opener; Kohli, Pant Eye Limited Appearances

Former India captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed his availability for Mumbai’s opening two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, beginning December 24.

The confirmation comes amid similar availability updates surrounding Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, both of whom are expected to feature selectively for Delhi in the domestic 50-over tournament.

“Rohit will be available for the first two games,” an MCA source confirmed to PTI late on Monday night.

However, Mumbai will be without several senior players during the opening phase. T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane, and Shivam Dube will all miss the initial matches, as the selectors opt to test younger talent.

Mumbai Opt For Youth As Rohit Returns

Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil earlier clarified that Jaiswal, Dube, and Rahane would not feature in at least the first two games, citing the team’s intent to experiment with a younger squad.

“Jaiswal, Dube and even Rahane will not be a part of the Mumbai squad for at least first two matches as the selection panel is going ahead with a young squad,” Patil told PTI.

Jaiswal is currently recovering from gastritis, with Patil indicating that the opener is undergoing treatment and expected to recover soon.

“Yashasvi is undergoing treatment for a stomach issue and he should be alright soon. We thought that the youngsters should be given a chance. But whenever they will be available, they will be accommodated,” he added.

There was, however, some confusion earlier in the day regarding Rohit’s availability, raising questions about coordination between the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) administration and the selection committee. Patil had appeared uncertain in the morning, but confirmation emerged later that night.

Kohli, Pant To Feature Selectively For Delhi

While Rohit prepares to lead Mumbai’s charge early in the tournament, attention has also turned to Delhi, where Rishabh Pant has been named captain for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Virat Kohli is also expected to be available for two to three matches in the National One-Day Championship. It remains unclear which specific matches Kohli and Pant will play.

Alongside Pant and Kohli, pacer Harshit Rana, and experienced quicks Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini have expressed their willingness to participate.

However, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has not included Pant, Kohli or Rana in the official 16-member squad, as none of them will be available for the full tournament. Their participation is expected to end ahead of the New Zealand ODI series, which begins on January 11, 2026.

Ayush Badoni has been appointed vice-captain and will assume leadership duties once Pant departs for national commitments, also serving as the second wicketkeeper in the ODI setup.

Tournament Schedule, Group Details

The elite division of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 will run from December 24 to January 8, with matches hosted across Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur and Bengaluru. The Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru will stage the knockout matches from January 12 to 18.

Mumbai have been drawn in Group C, alongside Punjab, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh. They open their campaign against Sikkim on December 24, with Rohit Sharma set to be the headline presence in the opening fixtures.

Mumbai squad: Ayush Badoni (vc), Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Sarthak Ranjan, Priyansh Arya, Tejasvi Singh Dahiya, Nitish Rana, Hrithik Shokeen, Harsh Tyagi, Simarjeet Singh, Prince Yadav, Divij Mehra, Ayush Doseja, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rohan Rana, Anuj Rawat (wk).

Additional players: Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Navdeep Saini, Harshit Rana, Ishant Sharma.

(With PTI Inputs)