Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is likely to join the Indian team for the ODI series against New Zealand a bit late, as he has decided to continue representing Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2025-26, according to a report.
Pant has reportedly received permission to play the last league match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on January 8 and will join the national team only after that. India will be playing the first ODI match against New Zealand at Vadodara on January 11.
Currently, Pant is leading Delhi in the domestic 50-over competition, where his team is placed at the top of Group D with 20 points from six games. They will face Haryana in their final league fixture, and Pant can join the national team by January 9, just two days before the first ODI.
“He (Pant) is very much here, and he will play the last game,” Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh told Cricbuzz on Tuesday night.
Pant has been included in the ODI squad as the second wicketkeeper, with K.L. Rahul serving as the first-choice keeper since the domestic ODI series against England in February 2025. Despite recent speculation that Ishan Kishan might be selected as the second-choice wicketkeeper due to form, the selectors opted for Pant, believing he had not received many chances of late.
Additionally, Shreyas Iyer, the vice-captain of the team, is also expected to join the squad a bit late. Iyer made his return to action in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai on Tuesday after recovering from an injury sustained during the Australia tour in October last year.
Middle-order batter Iyer marked a strong comeback from injury with a fluent 82 runs off 53 balls for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh. He has been named vice-captain of the India squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, starting in Vadodara on January 11. His participation in the series, however, is subject to a fitness clearance following his appearances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Mumbai.