Shubman Gill is expected to be available for Punjab’s Vijay Hazare Trophy group stage matches against Sikkim and Goa in early January as per Sportstar. Punjab has had a strong start to the tournament, winning both of its opening games. Gill, who was recently dropped from India’s T20 World Cup squad, has been out of action for some time due to an impact injury to his right foot. Last month, he was also ruled out of the second Test against South Africa because of a neck injury, adding to his recent fitness concerns.
PCA Confirms
Earlier, there were speculations that India’s Test and ODI captain could join Punjab for the third and fourth group stage games. However, sources from the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) have confirmed to Sportstar that Gill has assured them of his availability for the matches on January 3 against Sikkim and January 6 against Goa.
“He will join the team in Jaipur around January 1 for those two games. While he is interested in playing the final group league fixture against Mumbai as well, it will all depend on the BCCI’s scheduling for the camps ahead of the home series against New Zealand,” a PCA source said.
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Next Assignment
India is scheduled to play New Zealand starting January 11, with a preparatory camp likely to be held in Vadodara a few days before the series begins. If the schedule goes ahead as expected, Gill may have to skip the Mumbai game to focus on national duty. Following the BCCI’s directive that all players participate in domestic tournaments when not on national duty, there had been speculation that Gill could feature in the entire Vijay Hazare Trophy alongside Abhishek Sharma. While Abhishek played in Punjab’s tournament opener against Maharashtra, Gill has been training in Mohali after recovering from his foot injury.
Punjab has made an encouraging start in the tournament, securing victories over Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The team management is confident that Gill’s return will provide a boost to the batting lineup, adding experience and firepower to the middle order. His presence is expected to strengthen Punjab’s chances as the competition moves into the crucial stages.
Gill’s comeback is eagerly awaited by both the team and fans, as he looks to regain match fitness and form ahead of India’s home series against New Zealand. His inclusion could prove pivotal for Punjab’s push in the Vijay Hazare Trophy while balancing national commitments.
India Squad T20 WC 2026: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan.
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