Star India batter Virat Kohli is set to make his long-awaited Ranji Trophy return after nearly 13 years, with his last appearance dating back to 2012.

Kohli will turn up for Delhi in their final group-stage match against Railways, starting January 30 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Two days ahead of the fixture, the 36-year-old trained with the Delhi team. Kohli seemed relaxed in the company of his stated teammates, almost all of whom are sharing the dressing room with him for the first time and were visibly excited to have him among them.

“Kohli informed head coach Sarandeep Singh about his willingness to train with the team. It will be a great experience for the Delhi players if they get to spend so much time with him,” a DDCA official told TOI.

Despite his legendary stature, Virat Kohli has turned down the offer to lead the domestic side. He followed the footsteps of Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who also declined Delhi’s captaincy for their match against Saurashtra last week.

Kohli wasn't available for selection for the Saurashtra fixture due to neck sprain, while Pant will not take part in the match against Railways.

“Pant has been playing first-class cricket since Duleep Trophy in September. He has played 12 first-class matches in the last three-and-a-half months. With the Champions Trophy around the corner, he has been advised rest in order to get ready for the white-ball season,” the official said.

Regular skipper Ayush Badoni will continue to lead Delhi in their last Group D fixture of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season.

Delhi Squad: Ayush Badoni (captain), Virat Kohli, Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Jonty Sidhu, Himmat Singh, Navdeep Saini, Money Grewal, Harsh Tyagi, Siddhant Sharma, Shivam Sharma, Pranav Rajvanshi, Vaibhav Kandpal, Mayank Gusain, Gagan Vats, Sumit Mathur, Rahul Gahlot, Jitesh Singh, Vansh Bedi.

(With TOI Inputs)