Pant to Lead Delhi in Vijay Hazare Trophy; Kohli Included for First Two Matches

Rishabh Pant has been appointed captain of Delhi’s squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, which begins on December 24. Star batter Virat Kohli has also been named in the 20-member squad selected for Delhi’s first two matches of the tournament.

In a statement released by the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), it was confirmed that experienced fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini have made themselves available for selection. Harshit Rana, currently part of India’s T20I squad for the ongoing series against South Africa, will join the Delhi team once he becomes available.

Delhi will compete in Group D and are scheduled to play seven matches between December 24 and January 8. The availability of Pant and Kohli for all matches remains uncertain, as India are set to play a three-match ODI series starting January 11 in Vadodara.

Delhi will open their campaign against Andhra and Gujarat, with both matches to be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Ayush Badoni has been named vice-captain of the side. Tejasvi Dahiya will serve as the second wicketkeeper behind Pant, while Anuj Rawat has been included as a standby wicketkeeper in case Pant is unavailable.

The batting group features Yash Dhull, Priyansh Arya, Arpit Rana, Nitish Rana, Sarthak Ranjan, Divij Mehra and Ayush Doseja. The bowling attack includes pacers Simarjeet Singh and Prince Yadav, alongside spin options Hrithik Shokeen, Harsh Tyagi and Vaibhav Kandpal. Allrounder Rohan Rana is also part of the squad.

Delhi squad for the first two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches:

Rishabh Pant (captain), Ayush Badoni (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Sarthak Ranjan, Priyansh Arya, Tejasvi Singh (wicketkeeper), Nitish Rana, Hrithik Shokeen, Harsh Tyagi, Simarjeet Singh, Prince Yadav, Divij Mehra, Ayush Doseja, Vaibhav Kandpal, Rohan Rana, Ishant Sharma, Navdeep Saini

Standby wicketkeeper: Anuj Rawat