Ranji Trophy: Kohli Returns as Delhi Opt to Bowl First After Winning Toss Against Railways

Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy game for Delhi was in November 2012, when they played against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad.

Virat Kohli has confirmed his participation in a Ranji Trophy match after 12 years, as Delhi won the toss and elected to bowl first against Railways in their Elite Group D match of the ongoing season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.

Kohli’s last Ranji Trophy game for Delhi was in November 2012, when they played against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad.

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However, following the BCCI’s policy encouraging Indian players to play domestic cricket when possible, Kohli will feature for Delhi in the current season of the Ranji Trophy.

Kohli’s return to domestic cricket comes at a time when Delhi, currently in sixth place with 14 points, has a slim mathematical chance of advancing to the Ranji Trophy knockouts. To stay in contention, they need an outright win over fourth-ranked Railways, although that may not be enough to secure a spot in the knockout stages.

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The excitement surrounding Kohli's appearance in the Ranji Trophy has been immense, with fans lining up outside the stadium since 3 a.m. to catch a glimpse of the cricketing star. With the overwhelming crowd chanting Kohli’s name and for RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore), DDCA sources confirmed that Gate Number 18 was opened after Gates 16 and 17 to manage the large number of spectators.

Railways, led by Suraj Ahuja, will be without their regular captain Pratham Singh, who has been ruled out due to injury.

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Playing XIs:

Delhi:
Sanat Sangwan, Arpit Rana, Yash Dhull, Virat Kohli, Ayush Badoni (c), Pranav Rajvanshi (wk), Sumit Mathur, Shivam Sharma, Navdeep Saini, Money Grewal, Siddhant Sharma.

Railways:
Anchit Yadav, Vivek Singh, Mohammad Saif, Suraj Ahuja (c), Upendra Yadav (wk), Bhargav Merai, Karn Sharma, Ayan Chaudhary, Himanshu Sangwan, Kunal Yadav, Rahul Sharma.

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