Shubman Gill Poised for Domestic Return After T20 World Cup Omission As Punjab Announce Vijay Hazare Trophy Squad

Team India Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill will officially return to domestic cricket for Punjab. The top-order batter for India has been named in Punjab's squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy alongside his India teammates Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh.

Shubman Gill is coming off a huge upset after being left off the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson replaces him in the top order and is expected to open alongside Abhishek Sharma.

Shubman Gill Named In Punjab's 18-Man Squad For Vijay Hazare Trophy

Punjab Cricket has put up a solid blend of top-order hitters and credible all-around performers for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. The 18-man squad includes Indian cricketers like Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh and Shubman Gill.

All-rounders like Ramandeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dhir, Anmolpreet Singh, Sanvir Singh and Harpreet Brar have been named in the squad. Bowlers like Gurnoor Brar and Krish Bhagat are expected to emerge as the frontline pacers.

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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.

No Timeline On Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma & Arshdeep Singh's Availability 

The availability of Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Arshdeep Singh remains a mystery, as the New Zealand white-ball tour kicks off on January 11, just at the time of VHT. Gill will be in the ODI set of things as the captain, while Abhishek and Arshdeep are named in the T20I leg.

Unlike Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the trio of Shubman, Abhishek and Arshdeep haven't said anything about how many matches they are expected to be a part of for Punjab.

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Punjab has been placed in a group that includes teams such as Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa, and Mumbai. Notably, they haven't named a captain during the official squad announcement.

Punjab Cricket begins its Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign against Maharashtra on December 24, 2025. Whether the Indian trio will be a part of the first couple of matches is not yet known.