India’s ODI and Test captain Shubman Gill faced a rare setback in his international career after being left out of the squad for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. However, the 25-year-old will be back in the spotlight later this week after being named in Punjab’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with the List A tournament set to begin on December 24. India teammates Arshdeep Singh and Abhishek Sharma have also been included in the squad.
Gill, who was recently backed by the BCCI as India’s next all-format captain, was surprisingly omitted from both the T20 World Cup squad and the T20I series against New Zealand. The call was taken after his poor run of form in the shortest international format over the last four months, during which he managed only 291 runs in 15 innings without a single fifty.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy now offers the India star an opportunity to make a strong statement and remind selectors of his class in white-ball cricket.
However, the availability of Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh remains uncertain, with India scheduled to play a three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting January 11, followed by a five-match T20I series from January 21. Punjab have been placed in a group alongside Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa and Mumbai, with the league stage set to conclude on January 8, just days before India’s first ODI.
With the BCCI reportedly making it mandatory for centrally contracted players to feature in domestic competitions until their next international assignment, Gill is likely to turn out in the Vijay Hazare Trophy until the New Zealand ODI series begins. Punjab, who exited at the quarter-final stage last season, will play all seven of their league matches in Jaipur.
Punjab have stacked their List A squad with power-hitters and all-rounders, featuring Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dhir, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sanvir Singh, and Harpreet Brar, alongside India stars Gill, Abhishek, and Arshdeep. Gurnoor Brar and Krish Bhagat will spearhead the pace attack.
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.
