The mere presence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul has added glamour and significance to Delhi and Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy fixtures, respectively.

The last round of matches begin on Thursday and while Delhi are almost out of the reckoning for a knockout berth, Karnataka will need a bonus point win to advance. If they manage to do so, they will have knocked out Haryana despite being equal on 26 points, because they will have had one less bonus point.

Delhi Police have made extensive security arrangements keeping in mind Kohli’s presence and the spectator interest around the match. Much like Tuesday, Kohli’s practice session at the Kotla on Wednesday attracted much public interest. The former India captain is making a return to domestic cricket after more than 12 years.

On Wednesday, Kohli arrived at the Kotla at 8am, an hour before the scheduled start to the practice session. He hit the gym before the others arrived and then joined them for a football match.

His preparation was meticulous on both days. The stress was on facing back-of-length balls off the back foot through a mixture of defensive and aggressive strokes. Most of the Delhi players were thrilled to practise alongside him.

He spent time facing left-arm spinners Harsh Tyagi, Sumit Mathur and off-spinner Sumit Sharma. He then shifted focus to the pacers’ nets where he batted against the likes of Navdeep Saini among a bunch of right-arm quicks and a lone left-armer in Siddhant Sharma.

“I have played against Virat bhaiyya in the IPL. It is an honour that in back-to-back matches I have now led Rishabh (Pant) and Virat bhaiyya,” Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni told reporters on the eve of the game.

Kohli is expected to bat at his usual No.4 position. “He will bat at No. 4. He has told us to be positive and express ourselves confidently,” Badoni said.

Kohli had a subdued Australian tour following his century in the second innings of the opening Test. A big score will do his confidence a world of good. He has prepared extensively too, spending nearly a week training in Alibaug, a coastal town near Mumbai, with former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar.

In Bengaluru, Rahul had a 40-minute nets session prior to Karnataka’s match against Haryana.

In Nagpur, Hyderabad will take on Vidarbhawith Mohammed Siraj’s presence adding a fillip to the visitors’ hopes.

The C.V. Milind-led Hyderabad team is out of contention for a playoffs berth from Group B. Vidarbha have already sealed their spot inthe knockouts.

Whatever the outcome,the stars’ presence has definitely reignited interest in the Ranji Trophy.