India National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match: Star Indian batter Virat Kohli will miss Delhi’s upcoming match against Railways in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh confirmed the news to Hindustan Times, saying, "No, he is not available." Kohli’s absence comes as a setback for the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi side, which is currently placed at the top of Group D and is aiming to keep its lead in the tournament.
Kohli played two matches for Delhi in the 2025–26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He scored 131 against Andhra Pradesh and followed it up with 77 against Gujarat. His knocks played a key role in Delhi’s back-to-back wins. He later missed the next matches, as the BCCI had mandated players to feature in at least two games.
There were talks of Kohli returning for one more match before the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, but his absence against Railways suggests that he has played his last Vijay Hazare game this season.
The senior batter is now expected to shift focus to the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The move is seen as part of his preparation for upcoming international commitments in white-ball cricket.
Kohli has been in strong form in recent weeks. He scored 135, 102 and 65 not out against South Africa in the recent ODI series and was named Player of the Series. Before that, he hit an unbeaten 74 against Australia in the final ODI in Sydney, bouncing back after two consecutive ducks.
IND vs NZ ODI Series Schedule
| Date | Venue | Time |
|---|
| Sun, Jan 11, 2026 | Vadodara, BCA Stadium, Kotambi | 1:30 PM IST |
| Wed, Jan 14, 2026 | Rajkot, Niranjan Shah Stadium, Khandheri | 1:30 PM IST |
| Sun, Jan 18, 2026 | Indore, Holkar Cricket Stadium | 1:30 PM IST |
India’s squad for T20I series against New Zealand & ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (VC), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (WK)
