Ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Punjab announced its 18-member squad for the tournament. Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Arshdeep Singh are set to feature in their season-opening match against Maharashtra on Wednesday, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Considering his recent poor form and fitness, Gill was dropped from India`s squad for T20 World Cup 2026 and the New Zealand series.
Punjab`s squad also consists of the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dhir, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sanvir Sangha, and Harpreet Brar. Gurnoor Brar and Krish Bhagat will lead the pace attack.
Punjab, the losing quarter-finalists last season, are set to play all the seven league matches in Jaipur. Arshdeep was their leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 edition, and he will be a key player to watch.
Punjab`s group includes Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa, and Mumbai, with league-stage fixtures wrapping up on January 8, just before India`s first ODI on January 11.
The availability of Gill, Abhishek, and Arshdeep for the further tournament is unclear as Team India will also play three ODI matches against New Zealand. The three-match series against the “Black Caps” will kick start from January 11. Both teams will then clash against each other for the five T20I matches, beginning from January 21.
The series will also serve as the preparatory contest for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The marquee event is scheduled to kick start from February 7.
Team India, who are the defending champions, will open their global showpiece campaign by playing a match against the United States of America (USA) on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The event will conclude on March 8, with the top two teams clashing against each other for the elusive title.
It will be interesting to see if the “Men in Blue” manage to defend their T20 World Cup title.
Punjab`s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy: 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.
(With ANI Inputs)
