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Cricket PlayersWhy BCCI’s limitations will deny fans a live stream of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Vijay Hazare Trophy return
It will be Virat Kohli’s first appearance in the domestic List A tournament in 15 years, while Rohit Sharma last featured in the competition in 2018.
India batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to return to action on Wednesday in the opening round of the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy for Delhi and Mumbai, respectively. It will be Kohli’s first appearance in the domestic List A tournament in 15 years, while Rohit last featured in the competition in 2018. However, fans will be unable to catch the two in action, with neither match set to be televised or live-streamed.
Kohli and Rohit are scheduled to feature in the opening two matches of the tournament. On the opening day of the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Mumbai will face Sikkim at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur before taking on Uttarakhand in their second fixture at the Anantham Stadium.
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Delhi, meanwhile, also featuring Rishabh Pant, will begin their campaign against Andhra Pradesh at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, before facing Gujarat at the same venue in their next match.
Why Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Vijay Hazare Trophy return won’t be live-streamed
All 38 teams will be in action on the opening day of the domestic tournament, with 19 matches scheduled to begin simultaneously. As a result, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faces logistical limitations with its broadcast infrastructure, a scenario that also plays out during the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Currently, the BCCI has full-fledged broadcasting facilities at only two venues: the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, which explains why matches featuring Kohli and Rohit will not be televised or live-streamed.
However, it is worth noting that Delhi’s Ranji Trophy fixture against Railways earlier this year was initially not scheduled for broadcast due to similar constraints. The match was eventually made available for live streaming following a last-minute change after Kohli confirmed his availability at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. It remains to be seen whether the BCCI will take a similar call this time, keeping fan interest in mind.
Additionally, all knockout matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be staged at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) and will be telecast, as the venue has the necessary broadcast facilities.
Rohit’s fans, however, can watch him in person in Jaipur on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Delhi’s clash against Andhra Pradesh will be played behind closed doors after the match was shifted from the M Chinnaswamy Stadium to the CoE.
