Kohli.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The last time Virat Kohli played a List A fixture that was not an ODI was way back in September 2013 when he led Delhi against India Blue in the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy.
On Wednesday, he is set to bridge that gap of 12 years and a little more when Delhi takes on Andhra in its Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group-D opener here.
The contest, however, will be played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in the city’s outskirts after the Karnataka government refused permission for M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tie will be behind closed doors as the CoE doesn’t have seating arrangements.
The fixture was originally scheduled to be held at the Alur Grounds, but once Kohli’s participation became certain, it was sought to be moved to the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
But hosting matches there was always conditional to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) implementing the recommendations of the Justice Michael D’Cunha report, formulated as part of the investigation into the death of 11 people in a stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning celebrations on June 4, 2025.
On Tuesday, the review committee that was formed to consider KSCA’s request to conduct matches did not give the go-ahead, citing non-compliance.
When Kohli turned out for a Ranji Trophy match earlier this year after a near-identical gap, more than 12,000 fans turned up at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
In Bengaluru, it remains to be seen how many will brave the nearly 50km distance from the city centre to catch a glimpse of one of their favourite stars, from outside the compound wall and through the barbed wires.
In all probability, a free-spirited cricketer with infinite zeal will play with no resonant energy from the stands to bounce off.
Published – December 23, 2025 08:12 pm IST
