The Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 starts on December 24 and will run till January 18. India’s premier domestic one-day tournament features 38 teams and several top international players, making it one of the most watched domestic events this season.
Matches will be played in five cities across India, with teams fighting for spots in the knockout rounds. The competition follows the 50-over List A format and serves as a key platform for both established stars and emerging talent.
Vijay Hazare Trophy Format
The tournament is divided into two levels, Elite Groups and the Plate Group. A total of 32 teams are placed in the Elite category, split into four groups of eight teams each.
Every team plays a round-robin league. The top two teams from each Elite group qualify for the quarter-finals, followed by the semi-finals and final.
The Plate Group has six teams playing a round-robin format. The team finishing on top earns promotion to the Elite division for the next season.
Vijay Hazare Trophy Teams and Groups
All Ranji Trophy teams are part of the competition, taking the total count to 38 sides.
- Group A includes Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Kerala, and Tripura.
- Group B features Vidarbha, Baroda, Bengal, Hyderabad, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Group C has Maharashtra, Punjab, Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Chhattisgarh, and Sikkim.
- Group D consists of Haryana, Gujarat, Railways, Andhra Pradesh, Saurashtra, Delhi, Services, and Odisha.
- Plate Group includes Nagaland, Bihar, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Vijay Hazare Trophy Venues
Matches are being hosted in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Rajkot, and Ranchi.
Ahmedabad games are spread across the Narendra Modi Stadium grounds, Gujarat College Ground, and ADSA Railways Ground. Bengaluru hosts matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Alur grounds, and the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Jaipur, Rajkot, and Ranchi also serve as key hubs, with Ranchi hosting all Plate Group matches at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.
Big Names Light Up the Vijay Hazare Trophy
A BCCI directive has ensured the presence of several Indian internationals, at least in the early matches.
Virat Kohli is representing Delhi, with Rishabh Pant leading the side. Rohit Sharma is playing for Mumbai in the first two games.
KL Rahul turns out for defending champions Karnataka, while Hardik Pandya features for Baroda. Mohammed Shami plays for Bengal, and Shubman Gill is part of the Punjab squad.
Ravindra Jadeja is also available for Saurashtra in select matches, adding further strength to the competition.
The presence of these players adds quality and attention to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, making it a key domestic event ahead of future international assignments.