Shubman Gill is all set to join the long list of Indian stars who will feature in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. After his surprise omission from India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 squad, Shubman Gill will now return to domestic cricket with Punjab.
Punjab have announced a strong 18-member squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, but despite including several Indian stars, they are yet to announce a captain. India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, explosive opening batsman Abhishek Sharma and star fast bowler Arshdeep Singh have been named in the squad for the prestigious tournament.
Shubman Gill returns to domestic cricket with Punjab after defeat in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
All of them were part of the recent T20 series against South Africa at home. But only Arshdeep and Abhishek got a place in the T20 World Cup 2026 team. Well, with the three Indian stars, the Punjab selectors have solid hitters and reliable all-rounders in the squad for the tournament.
Also read: Shubman Gill included in India’s T20 World Cup squad for the first time; Thrown out on last minute order….
IPL headline makers like Prabhsimran Singh, Naman Dheer, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Harpreet Brar have been included in the squad to add depth to both the batting and bowling departments. The pace attack will be led by Gurnoor Brar and Krish Bhagat.
However, there is uncertainty over how many matches Gill, Abhishek and Arshdeep will be available for in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. India is set to host a three-match ODI series against New Zealand from January 11, which will be followed by a five-match T20 series from January 21.
Gill, who was recently dropped from India’s T20I plans for the T20 World Cup and New Zealand series, will captain the Indian ODI team. On the other hand, Abhishek and Arshdeep will be part of the T20I series, making them unavailable for Punjab in the 50-over tournament.
Punjab looking to make a big impact in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26
Punjab has been placed in the group with Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Goa and Mumbai. They will start their campaign against Maharashtra on 24th December and the team is looking really strong to progress in the tournament.
Punjab will play all seven of its league matches in Jaipur, with the league stage concluding on January 8, days before the ODI series between India and New Zealand. The upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 will be star-studded as the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and others will be seen in action for their respective teams in the tournament.
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The team will be keen to perform better this season, as they lost in the quarter-finals last year. Arshdeep was the leading wicket-taker for Punjab in the 2024–25 season.
Punjab squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26:
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Harnoor Pannu, Anmolpreet Singh, Uday Saharan, Naman Dhir, Salil Arora (wk), Sanveer Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Raghu Sharma, Krish Bhagat, Ramandeep Singh, Jashanpreet Singh, Gaurav Chaudhary, Sukhdeep Bajwa.
