Thousands of fans have filled a stadium in the Indian capital, Delhi, as Virat Kohli makes his much-anticipated return to domestic cricket after more than 12 years. The 36-year-old star batter has turned out for Delhi on Thursday in the Ranji Trophy match against the Railways team at the well-attended Arun Jaitley stadium.

With Virat Kohli playing a Ranji Trophy game after 12 years and crowds turning out in massive numbers, the authorities decided to deploy paramilitary forces to ensure the proceedings on day 1 in Delhi against the Railways go smoothly.

Virat Kohli returned to the Ranji Trophy after a gap of more than 12 years. Kohli is playing for Delhi in their final Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game against Railways.

A massive crowd gathered outside the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday as the Delhi cricket team took on Railways in their Ranji Trophy encounter. The frenzy, however, was not just for the domestic clash but largely for one man--Virat Kohli.

Ahead of his return to Ranji Trophy, Virat Kohli had an intense training session with the Delhi squad and interacted with the players during the practice session. It was reported that Kohli declined captaincy offer by Delhi selection committee and agreed to play under the leadership of Ayush Badoni.

Delhi captain Ayush Badoni has disclosed Virat Kohli's batting order in the upcoming Ranji Trophy game against Railways on January 30