For the next Vijay Hazare Trophy, which begins on December 24, the BCCI has mandated that all members of the present national squad to participate in at least two one-day matches.
It is understood that the Board wants all of its senior players to play domestic cricket, with a three-week buffer between the first ODI against New Zealand (January 11, 2026) and the final T20I against South Africa in Ahmedabad (December 19).
The national selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, has informed the players of the directive. This aligns with the findings of a review conducted following the Test fiasco in Australia earlier this year. Increased focus on domestic cricket across formats was the goal of the review.
Senior players like Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav have all been asked to play at least two games for their respective teams, while veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have already intimated that they are available for the tournament.
Others are anticipated to play for their state teams, with the exception of Shreyas Iyer, who will require much longer time to recover.
“There are six rounds of Vijay Hazare Trophy scheduled between December 24 and start of the New Zealand ODIs. It is up to the players and their state associations to decide which two rounds they would like to play.
“But after the second T20I in Mullanpur, the players have been categorically told that playing Hazare isn’t optional,” a PTI report quoted a senior BCCI official as saying.
Only if a player is deemed unfit by the Center of Excellence would an exception be granted, but authorities think there will be ample time for recovery following the South Africa series.
The directive would also assist in dispelling the myth that Kohli and Rohit, who have nothing to prove, are merely being singled out by the selection committee and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Rules will be the same for everyone, as evidenced by the decision to make the Vijay Hazare Trophy mandatory.
