India’s ODI and Test skipper Shubman Gill will be back in action for Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy slated to begin on December 24, 2025. The 2025-26 edition of the premier domestic one-day tournament will be played from December 24 to January 18.
Punjab are set to face Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa and Mumbai in their group matches. India opener Abhishek Sharma and left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh have also been named in the squad.
Gill was earlier excluded from the T20 World Cup 2026 squad that will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. Gill’s exclusion came in as a surprise for everyone while Ishan Kishan and Rinku Singh returned to the squad. Axar Patel was named the vice-captain of the side.
“We know what a quality player he is, but, perhaps short of a little bit of runs at the moment,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in the press conference for India’s squad announcement.
“It’s unfortunate to have missed out in the last World Cup as well because we went with different combinations. But it’s the combinations more than anything else…Someone has to miss out when you pick 15 and unfortunately, it’s Gill at this point,” Agarkar added.
According to a PTI report, Suryakumar Yadav’s position in the team was saved just because of his captaincy.
“SKY, who by virtue of being the skipper, kept his place despite a horrific one-year run, while Gill suffered as his game didn’t seem as impactful as Abhishek Sharma’s,” the report stated.
“Anyone who knows Gambhir knows that for him, ‘winning is not everything but the only thing’. Today it was Gill, tomorrow it could be Suryakumar,” the report added.
Abhishek and Arshdeep have been named in the World Cup squad.
Punjab’s Vijay Hazare Trophy squad: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Harnoor Pannu, Anmolpreet Singh, Uday Saharan, Naman Dhir, Salil Arora (wk), Sanvir Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Jashanpreet Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Raghu Sharma, Krish Bhagat, Gourav Choudhary, Sukhdeep Bajwa
Also Read: Punjab Announces 18-Member Squad For Vijay Hazare Trophy: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma Among Them
